A group of Russian heterosexual allies of LGBT people has written an open letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and world leaders calling for the Winter Olympics to be moved to another country while Russia continues to persecute homosexuals.

The Straight Alliance for LGBT equality is a Russian social movement founded in May of 2012 in St Petersburg and has nearly 10,000 followers on the VK social media website.

‘We are straight allies – heterosexuals who support the struggle for equal civil rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders,’ the group says in its mission statement.

‘We have come together to say "No!" to discrimination and persecution of our fellow citizens, friends, and loved ones. We are creating a space free from homophobia and are promoting the formation in Russia of a more tolerant society and a state without discrimination.

‘Everyone has the right to love and be loved and not be ashamed of it! The state should not be climbing into people’s beds or into their souls. We want to put an end to this disgrace.’

‘We want to live in a society in which any minority and also every individual can feel comfortable and can enjoy equal protection of their rights and human dignity.’

In the open letter, addressed to IOC president Jacques Rogge, US President Barack Obama, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the leadership of the rest of the European Union, the group writes to condemn the treatment of LGBTs by the Russian state,

‘Russia’s policy conflicts with the Olympic principles, which claim to stand against any form of discrimination,’ the group writes.

‘Discrimination has been as an official national policy in Russia. Anti-gay laws explicitly and blatantly label a part of the nation as second-class citizens. These principles are openly fascist, humiliating and shameful. We insist that a country where such policies are adopted must not be allowed to host the Olympic Games.

‘Laws which abuse basic human rights and freedoms have been passed in Russia. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has set a course for the establishment of a dictatorship, destruction of democratic institutions and the extermination of civil society.’

The group writes that the persecution of LGBTs is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of abuse of power by Putin’s regime.

‘ In Russia members of the opposition who speak out against government are pursued and imprisoned,’ the group writes.

‘Independent courts, press freedom and fair elections have been exterminated, we again have political prisoners here. There is not much left of the democratic freedoms of the 1990s. Under the pretense of “protection of morality,” “protection of children” and “traditional values,” the government is persecuting dissidents, curtailing freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly, imposing censorship, and fostering feelings of hatred in society. Neo-fascists movements that hunt down people, including teenagers, act under the protection of government and are not afraid of responsibility. Hate crimes are not investigated … Political repressions have become a regular and sinister fact of life in Russia.

‘The Governments of Western countries and IOC do not have the right to close their eyes while Putin is leading Russia to a catastrophe. The moral and political values of the western world oblige you to react unequivocally and decisively to the despotism of Putin’s regime.’

The group urged that Russia repealing its gay propaganda law be a condition on its being allowed to host the games.

‘We are convinced that repeal of the odious and anti-democratic laws is a required condition of hosting the Olympic Games in Russia,’ the group says, ‘The ban on “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” must be abolished, as well as other new punitive laws which are used to threaten and persecute people.’

‘Failing this, Russia will not have any moral or political right to be a venue for the Olympic Games. The Games must be moved to a more suitable location.

‘We ask you, representatives of the IOC and governments of the USA and European countries, who understand the values of freedom, human rights and equality, to come out for their protection in Russia.

‘While it is not too late we ask you to stop playing games with the dictator. It is essential for the civilized world to boycott Putin. The new fascist regime must be stopped and isolated – in the name of protection of freedom and values of civilization.’