Evdokiya Romanova
Evdokiya Romanova is a human rights defender and member of the LGBT-rights movement “Avers”, which provides legal and psychological assistance to the LGBT community and defends the rights of other LGBT groups. She also works with “Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights” (YCSRR), the young feminists’ foundation “Frida” and the anti-racism group “United”. The YCSRR was established at the Hague Youth Forum in February 1999 with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The participants established the Coalition to support and help young people to realise their sexual and reproductive rights. At Avers, Evdokiya Romanova coordinated the work of volunteers and developed the international connections of the organisation. She was also involved in social theatre, based on the Theatre of the Oppressed methodology of popular community-based education, using theatre as a tool for social change.
The environment for the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Russian Federation is difficult, especially for those who defend and promote the rights of LGBTI people, ethnic and religious minorities, refugees, as well as activists of the North Caucasus and the unlawfully annexed Crimean Peninsula. HRDs are often subjected to acts of harassment, surveillance, physical attacks, threat, raids and searches on their offices and homes, slander and smear campaigns, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, and ill-treatment, as well as violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. There have also been cases where HRDs have been murdered as a result of their work.
