About
North Caucasus SOS (NC SOS) was founded in 2017 by human rights activists in response to mass arbitrary detentions and executions of LGBTQI people in the Chechen Republic of Russia. Before 2022, the project was part of the Russian LGBT Network.
NC SOS helps LGBTQI individuals escape from the republics of the North Caucasus, where they face discrimination, violence, and life-threatening danger. We provide safe housing, legal, financial, medical, and psychological assistance.
In addition to direct beneficiary support, NC SOS conducts documentation and monitoring, engages in litigation and advocacy, and raises awareness of human rights violations in the region. Our goal is to foster accountability for SOGIESC-based torture and inhumane treatment in the North Caucasus, ensuring that such abuses never continue with impunity.
Our work is featured in the 2020 HBO documentary “Welcome to Chechnya”. In 2023, Russia designated NC SOS a “foreign agent”.