
13 Jul. 2026
Obtaining an international passport after persecution, with support of Dignity NGO
On April 1, 2026, M.K., a homosexual individual and citizen of the Republic of Ingushetia, within the Russian Federation, applied to Dignity NGO. He stated that he grew up in highly traditional environment in the North Caucasus, where the reveal of his sexual orientation led to prolonged persecution, violence and a real threat to his life. In 2024, he fell victim to a deceptively arranged meeting, where a criminal group threatened him with a weapon, took his phone, money and blackmailed him. After this incident and reveal of his orientation, continuous pressure, as well as physical and psychological abuse by family and community members began. He lived under conditions of isolation and total control for months. Within the framework of the crime reports he filed, he was forced to change his testimonies, stay silent about what happened and live in constant fear.
With the support of a human rights defenders’ team, the individual managed to flee his country of residence and relocate to Armenia. However, he faced issues regarding documents. Specifically, he did not possess a biometric passport.
Anahit Mkrtchyan, defence-lawyer of Dignity Humanitarian NGO, prepared an application, addressed to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, regarding the issuance of a new-generation Russian Federation international passport (which contains an electronic data storage medium). Before submitting the application, the beneficiary’s personal safety risks and ongoing legal proceedings, involving them, were thoroughly assessed.
As a result, the passport issuance process was successfully completed without any obstacles, and on July 2, 2026, the citizen obtained their Russian Federation international biometric passport.
Share:












