• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Rupert Everett claims to know who Prince Harry lost his virginity to
  • The year of Beyonce? Music’s elite head to the Grammys
  • It’s A Family Affair! Madonna’s Six Children Will Have Special Roles In Her ‘Celebration’ Tour

Police In Sochi Brutalize And Sodomize Olympic Construction Worker

RJ Aguiar July 25, 2013

Sochi construction
As a result of recent anti-gay legislation and increases in anti-gay attacks, Russia has found itself at the center of extensive controversy as of late. Part of this controversy has surrounded the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. LGBT rights advocates are already calling foul to the U.S. government and to NBC. Some are even calling for a boycott. Unfortunately, none of this controversy is likely to die anytime soon, now that Vocativ is releasing the story of Martiros Demerchyan, a construction worker from Sochi who was assulted, brutalized, and forcibly sodomized by police. According to Vocativ and organizations such as Human Rights Watch, this incident is indicative of patterns that have become "a frequent complaint in Sochi, a once sleepy resort town on Russia’s Black Sea coastline."

The incident in question took place after a pay dispute, which took place after the Okhotskaya Building Companys allegedly underpaid Demerchyan approximately 20,000 rubles (or $600 USD). After compaining to his supervisor, he was accused of stealing electrical wire from his job. Demerchyan subsequently offered to let authorities search his home for the "missing" wire, which seemed to satisfy his supervisor. After being told to "come by and pick up your pay," Demerchyan was then ambushed by police and taken to the police station, where they attempted to intimidate him into signing a confession for the wire theft. When he refused, police allegedly donned boxing gloves and beat him until he lost consciousness. Vocativ shares what happened next:

"When Demerchyan awoke, he again refused to confess to the crime he says he did not commit. The police then allegedly bent him over, shoved his face to the ground and sodomized him with a red fireman’s crowbar. 'I screamed,' Demerchyan says. 'I said, ‘I’ll sign whatever you want, just please don’t torture me anymore. I can’t bear any more of this.'' Demerchyan’s relative and co-worker, Sergei Krbashyan, accompanied him to the station, and was beaten as well, though less severely. Reportedly, Krbashyan said that he’d rather be shot than have the crowbar used on him."

After the incident, Demerchyan was taken to a private medical center. According to medical reports, his injuries corrobarate the story he shared: a concussion, two cracked teeth, and “intestinal injuries obtained from penetration by a foreign object.”

Sochi-construction-of-airportDemerchyan's employer, the Okhotskaya Building Company, denies the incident in its entirety, and refused to comment on accusations that they are mistreating workers. His lawyer also tried to bring concerns to the police. The investigator assigned to the case then delayed the investigation for one month, long enough for Demerchyan's injuries to heal and seem less severe, before dismissing it altogether. The delay tactic is supposedly a safeguard should Demerchyan and his attorney attempt to take the matter before the courts. 

According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, complaints of mistreatment, underpayment, and police corruption have become increasingly common as constuction has kept increasing in Sochi. Vocativ also reports that "Russian opposition leaders such as Boris Nemtsov, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, have accused the government of widespread embezzlement of Olympic funds." They go on to say that…

"The cost of the games, once estimated at $12 billion, about the same as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, is now expected to be roughly four times that amount. If true, this would make Sochi—the only Winter Olympics to be held in city with a subtropical climate—the most expensive games in history."

Sochi olympicsAdd to this the fact that a large portion of construction workers for the Sochi games are foreign-born, thus making it much easier for their supervisors to deny them wages, steal their identification papers, place them in overcrowded housing facilities, and underfeed them. Human Rights Watch added in their report that, “the Russian government has obligations under national and international law to protect workers, including migrant workers.” They say that such corruption and human rights violations are frighteningly common when cities prepare for Olympic games, especially in authoritarian states. One analyst explained…

“We’ve gone to [the IOC] several times with allegations of a pattern of abuse across Olympic sites…They were interested in seeing individual cases brought to them, but refused to examine them as a pattern.”

Meanwhile, Demerchyan says that he still suffers from blurred vision and pain in his back and kidneys as a result of the injuries he sustained in his altercation with police. He is subsequently unable to work and support his family. He told Vocativ, “I have already borrowed all the money that I could from relatives…I don’t know what we will do.”

The IOC has yet to comment on any of the current controversy surrounding the homophobia and human rights violations taking place in Sochi and throughout Russia. 

You can read Vocativ's more extensive coverage and analysis HERE.

You can read the full report by Human Rights Watch HERE. 

Topics: History, LGBT Rights, News More Posts About: crime, News, olympics, Russia, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Related Posts
  • Zelensky: Russia destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s power stations in a week
  • Exclusive-Ukraine will never forgive Russia – Russian Nobel laureate
  • Another Uk Olympian Comes Out; Dame Kelly Holmes, Competed in Track Events At Athens Games
  • The year of Beyonce? Music’s elite head to the Grammys

    The year of Beyonce? Music’s elite head to the Grammys

    Published by AFP Beyonce, shown here attending the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, has the most chances at Grammy gold this year Los Angeles (AFP) – The brightest stars in pop music will vie for the …Read More »
  • It’s A Family Affair! Madonna’s Six Children Will Have Special Roles In Her ‘Celebration’ Tour

    It’s A Family Affair! Madonna’s Six Children Will Have Special Roles In Her ‘Celebration’ Tour

    Published by Radar Online Mega Madonna‘s “greatest hits” would tour will be a family affair — with all of her six children joining her on the stage and off, RadarOnline.comhas learned. “Lourdes, David, Mercy, Stella, and …Read More »
  • Channing Tatum needed make-up on his bum for Magic Mike’s Last Dance

    Channing Tatum needed make-up on his bum for Magic Mike’s Last Dance

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Channing Tatum had to cover up a blemish on his bum for ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’. Make-up artists on the upcoming movie had to spend 20 minutes every day rubbing concealer …Read More »
  • Security Denies Madonna’s Daughter Lourdes Leon Entry To Marc Jacobs Fashion Show Upon Late Arrival

    Security Denies Madonna’s Daughter Lourdes Leon Entry To Marc Jacobs Fashion Show Upon Late Arrival

    Published by OK Magazine mega Fashionably too late? Lourdes Leon was stopped by security and not allowed inside a Marc Jacobs fashion show event on Thursday, February 2, after she showed up exactly as the show …Read More »
Previous Post: « Two Boston Men Charged With Robbery and Hate Crime After Anti-Gay Attack
Next Post: New York City’s Splash Bar Closing In August »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Trans nonbinary Broadway star withdraws from Tony consideration over gendered categories

    Trans nonbinary Broadway star withdraws from Tony consideration over gendered categories

  • How Orlando’s gay community, after Pulse, helped spur proposed changes to blood donor rules

    How Orlando’s gay community, after Pulse, helped spur proposed changes to blood donor rules

  • Fabiola Santiago: Of course lying George Santos has ties to Florida. It’s where truth ‘comes to die’

    Fabiola Santiago: Of course lying George Santos has ties to Florida. It’s where truth ‘comes to die’

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

    Dennis Rodman On If He’d Ever Get Back With Ex-Girlfriends: “I Tried Madonna, I Tried Carmen Electra…”

  • James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

    James Gunn Seemingly Confirms The DCU Will Finally Have Gay Superheroes

  • Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

    Vanilla Ice Admits He Rejected Madonna’s Proposal Before They Split: ‘I Thought The Guy Was Supposed To Do That’

RSS Partner Links

  • George Santos Admits Lying To EVERYONE In Secret Recording
  • Melinda Dillon, A CHRISTMAS STORY Mom, Dies @ 83
  • “Lourdes Leon got blocked from entering the Marc Jacobs show” links
  • Princess Kate released another ‘Shaping Us’ video, this time with Roman Kemp
  • Real Fox News Or Just Some Made Up Bullsh*t?
  • OMG, WATCH: Doja Cat play ‘Smash or Pass’ with looks from the past!
  • Kim Kardashian Rocks Ripped Jeans For North West's Newest Basketball Game in LA

Most Recent

  • Rupert Everett claims to know who Prince Harry lost his virginity to

    Rupert Everett claims to know who Prince Harry lost his virginity to

  • The year of Beyonce? Music’s elite head to the Grammys

    The year of Beyonce? Music’s elite head to the Grammys

  • It’s A Family Affair! Madonna’s Six Children Will Have Special Roles In Her ‘Celebration’ Tour

    It’s A Family Affair! Madonna’s Six Children Will Have Special Roles In Her ‘Celebration’ Tour

  • Channing Tatum needed make-up on his bum for Magic Mike’s Last Dance

    Channing Tatum needed make-up on his bum for Magic Mike’s Last Dance

  • Security Denies Madonna’s Daughter Lourdes Leon Entry To Marc Jacobs Fashion Show Upon Late Arrival

    Security Denies Madonna’s Daughter Lourdes Leon Entry To Marc Jacobs Fashion Show Upon Late Arrival

  • Arriving Valentine’s Day: A Pair Of DC Comics Non-Binary Characters

    Arriving Valentine’s Day: A Pair Of DC Comics Non-Binary Characters

  • What is the #MascaraTrend and is it an adequate tool for free speech on TikTok?

    What is the #MascaraTrend and is it an adequate tool for free speech on TikTok?

  • ‘I don’t get canceled, really’: John Waters on his career, conservatives and taboos

    ‘I don’t get canceled, really’: John Waters on his career, conservatives and taboos

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×