Chechnya has begun the torture of LGBTQ people, creating the first concentration camps in Europe since World War II.
According to a report in The Week, 100 gay men were detained — and three killed — in concentration camps in the last week. Those detained in the camps are forced to agree to leave Chechnya.
Chechneyan President Razman Kadyrov, who has long been staunchly anti-gay, is said to have ordered the creation of these camps. He has previously been accused of being behind extrajudicial killings and torture of gay men in the country.
Kadyrov claims that such incidents are false, saying, “So-called human rights activists make up all sorts of nonsense for money.” in a BBC report from January.
He claimed that the killings were more likely done by the families of the deceased instead. In some cases, gay prisoners have been let out of prison only to face an “honor killing” from their family, but this is above and beyond actions taken under Kadyrov.
He has also claimed that there are no gay men in Chechnya, which would seem contradictory.
Reports of concentration camps come from Novoya Gazeta, a Russian paper with a critical eye on Russian political and social affairs. According to the publication, many gay men have been beaten and electrocuted by official in the camps.
Those held are also being forced to reveal other LGBTQ people in the country.
Image by Rama via Wikimedia Commons and a CC license
