O’Melveny Secures Asylum for Russian Man Persecuted for His Sexual Orientation

An O’Melveny pro bono team secured asylum for “Roma,” an openly gay man who feared that his family and peers in Russia would subject him to emotional and physical attacks, or even kill him, due to his sexual orientation.

Roma was raised in Russia in a Christian Armenian household with religious values that considered homosexuality an unforgivable sin. After enduring a childhood of bullying, he left home to attend university in Saint Petersburg. His career as a musician soared following his appearance as a finalist on “The Voice.” But he was harassed when a classmate discovered intimate text messages and threatened to expose his sexual orientation.

This classmate demanded Roma leave school or face severe physical harm. Roma retreated to his hometown, but the classmate continued to harass him and showed the text messages to Roma’s brother. Roma’s brother beat him so severely that he had to be air-lifted to Armenia for surgery on his collapsed and fractured nose. Roma’s brother threatened him with dire consequences if he did not leave Russia.

Roma made the difficult decision to seek asylum in the United States. O’Melveny represented him in his asylum application, which was granted by USCIS, allowing him to remain safely in the US.