With the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi just days away, activists are making sure all of the attention isn’t focused past Russia’s abysmal treatment of its LGBT citizens – in fact, one group wants to make sure everyone sees it.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a video showing exactly what is happening:  Thugs and criminals attacking and viciously beating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, sometimes right under the noses of cops who refuse to intervene.

HRW says most of the victims, “were afraid to go to the police to report violence, fearing further harassment and believing the police would not bother to pursue their attackers.  When victims did lodge complaints with the police, few investigations followed.”

Gays were already a targeted population in Russia.  But last year, the Russian Parliament passed a bill making so-called “Homosexual Propaganda” (whatever that is) illegal, and banned the discussion of “non-traditional relationships” with minors.  And President Vladimir Putin signed the bill.

But instead of the ridiculous notion of somehow protecting children, the law opened the floodgates to a wave of harassment and violence. 

“By turning a blind eye to hateful homophobic rhetoric and violence, Russian authorities are sending a dangerous message as the world is about to arrive on its doorstep for the Olympics that there is nothing wrong with attacks on gay people,” said Tanya Cooper, Russia researcher at Human Rights Watch.