by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
Under the guise of investigating the murder of a gay man, officers from Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs raided the Kiev gay club Androgin April 11.
More than 80 people were detained and taken to a police station where they were subjected to "rude and offensive treatment" and "force," said the Council of LGBT Organizations of Ukraine.
The clubgoers were fingerprinted, photographed and ordered to sign a letter stipulating that they had no problems with how they were treated by the officers.
The council said the reason given for the raid seemed bogus because police already had a photo of the suspect in the killing.
"The goal of the operation in Androgin club was not to identify the personality of the murderer but to threaten the LGBT community and collect personal data on visitors of the gay club," the council said.
The council filed a complaint about the raid with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor's Office, requesting an investigation and punishment of any officers who acted improperly.
"All illegally collected personal data on homosexual people should be destroyed without delay," the council demanded.
