REPORT: Russia Has Ended ‘Investigation’ Into Detention, Torture, Killings of Gay Men in Chechnya

‘No Victims of Persecution, Threats or Violence’ Russian Attaché Claims

The Putin government has concluded its investigation into allegations of illegal detention, torture, and killings of gay men in the Russian Caucus Republic of Chechnya, according to the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Israel. Israeli newspaper Haartez published the letter last week.

Those allegations were first reported in a series of stories published last month by journalist Elena Milashina, in Russia’s leading opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov (photo, with Vladimir Putin) has denied the reports, while allegedly calling for the elimination of gay men before Ramadan.

In the letter, the embassy’s press attaché Dmitry Alushkin wrote: “Authorized official government bodies of the Russian Federation, in cooperation with the government of the Chechen Republic, investigated the claims made by journalist Elena Milashina in her articles published in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and in other Russian media outlets.”

“There are no victims of persecution, threats or violence” Alushkin added. “Neither law enforcement authorities or the Human Rights Council of the president of the Chechen Republic have received complaints on this matter. The Human Rights Council conducted an inquiry of its own and did not find even indirect evidence of such accusations.”

A spokesperson for the Washington, D.C. office of a leading human rights organization has called into question Alushkin’s statements.

“This so-called investigation is clearly a sham. The Russian government claims that there is no evidence of abuses in Chechnya. Try telling that to the gay and bisexual men fleeing the republic and seeking asylum elsewhere. Try telling that to those who mourn the three men murdered during this crisis,” said Human Rights First’s Shawn Gaylord. “If the authorities won’t take this matter seriously, then the international community must; we must demand the release of these men and accountability for those that perpetrated these terrible crimes.”  

Gaylord told NCRM Monday that last week U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) had called on the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to explore “possible avenues for urgently admitting these persecuted LGBT individuals to the United States, preferably via humanitarian parole or expedited refugee processing.”

Throughout the ongoing crisis, Russian LGBTQI activists have been detained while advocating for a through investigation. Five activists were arrested in Moscow last Thursday for attempting to submit a petition calling for action.

When contacted by NCRM Monday, Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, had no comment.

Brody Levesque is the Chief Political Correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement.
You may contact Brody at Brody.Levesque@thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

RELATED STORIES:

Gay Man From Chechnya: ‘If I Go Home, They Will Kill Me’

Personal Accounts of Torture and Abuse Revealed as President of Chechnya Calls for Elimination of Gays Before Ramadan

Journalist Who Broke Chechnya’s ‘Gay Concentration Camp’ Story To Flee Russia Following Threats

To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.

Image via the Kremlin