A U.S. ambassador is warning that
Russia has a “kill list” of dissidents in Ukraine that includes
LGBTQ people.
Bathsheba Nell Crocker, the U.S.
representative to the Office of the United Nations and Other
International Organizations in Geneva, described the threat in a
letter to Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights,
“[There is] credible information that
indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians
to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,”
Crocker wrote in the letter, NBC
News reported.
“[Russia will] likely target those
who oppose Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian
dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption
activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic
minorities and LGBTQI+ persons,” Crocker continued.
After months of denying it planned to
invade Ukraine, Russia on Thursday launched a full-scale attack,
bombing key infrastructure in the nation.
Western leaders, including the United
States, have condemned Russia's actions.