In a case referred by Immigration Equality, Weil Gotshal & Manges in the United States has secured asylum for an LGBT man from Belarus who was forced to flee his home after being targeted for numerous assaults on account of his sexual orientation.
Weil reports that the firm's client, identified only as "a talented musician," fled Belarus in 2014, after suffering a long series of assaults by both private actors and the police. According to Weil, Litigation Associate Gaspard Curioni — supervised by partner Adam Hemlock — represented the client in his asylum proceeding (including the asylum interview), along with Sasha Shulzhenko, who also served as a translator. The firm reports that its team "put together a voluminous application for asylum, including a personal declaration detailing the abuse our client endured, supporting affidavits, documentary evidence of the attacks, including medical reports, and dozens of reports documenting anti-LGBT violence in Belarus."
The application process took more than two years. During that time, the Weil team assisted the client and his husband in securing work authorization and advised the couple in relation to events affecting the asylum application. The client and his husband "have built a new life in the United States," Weil reports, "where they feel safe and can live openly without fear of reprisal."
