Amnesty International demands investigation into reports of gay persecution in Chechnya

International human rights organization Amnesty International has urged Russian authorities to immediately begin investigating allegations of abductions, torture, and killings of homosexual men in Chechnya.

Russian authorities, read Amnesty International’s statement, should also take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of any person who may be at risk in Chechnya because of his sexual orientation and condemn any discriminatory comments made by officials in the strongest possible terms.

In early April, Novaya Gazeta reported that over 100 people were detained on suspicion of homosexuality and that three people were killed in Chechnya in recent weeks. Local authorities called these allegations a lie and Chechnya’s official government spokesperson Alvi Karimov said that there are no gays in the republic. Regional human rights council member Heda Saratova said at first that she would be “understanding” about the murder of homosexuals, but then claimed that her initial comment was made in a “slightly insane” state given her shock at learning of the existence of gays in Chechnya.

On April 4, Novaya Gazeta published the anonymous testimony of several people who were persecuted in Chechnya for their sexual orientation.

Earlier, political party Yabloko and Russia’s Human Right Commission head Mikhail Fedotov called for investigating reports on the persecution and killings of homosexuals in Chechnya. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that law enforcement agencies would look into claims about the persecution of gays. No information has yet been provided on the results of the investigation.