In Russia, LGBTQ activists are warning of a new crackdown on gays and lesbians, with at least 40 people arrested in December and reports of two people who were tortured to death. Chechen officials have denied the reports, which are based on interviews of victims by the Associated Press and other outlets. In 2017, human rights groups said as many as 100 people, mainly gay young men, were swept up by police and tortured in what was labeled a “gay pogrom” carried out by Chechen officials.