British daily newspaper The Daily Mail has come under fire for implying that LGBT people from Russia and Albania seeking refuge in the UK were undeserving of asylum.
In a report on people who had been granted asylum in the UK in 2018, the daily contrasted asylum requests from Russians and Albanians to “people from countries such as Uganda, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nigeria, where gay and lesbian people are often subjected to abuse and attack.”
The article was accused of implying that discrimination towards LGBT people in these countries was seemingly not bad enough so as to justify asylum claims.
In fact, the mistreatment of LGBT people in Russia is well-documented, with gay men in Chechnya being subjected to detainment and beatings by the authorities, during so-called “gay purges.” Russian law prohibits “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors.” In a 2017 survey, 86% of Russians said that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.
On the other hand, as reported by LGBTI-ERA, Albanian LGBT people “continue to experience discrimination from individuals as well as institutions.” Albania has yet to legally recognize same-sex partnerships.
