Ameri, don't abandon gay Chechens (opn) | CNN

Contents:

• 2 GAY CHECHENS HELD ON TERROR CHARG WHOUT PROOF – NGO
• THAT TIME I TOLD THE HEAD OF CHECHEN POLICE I WAS GAY. STANDG A JAIL CELL: REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK
• CHECHNYA’S HORRIFIC ‘GAY PURGE’: A 4-YEAR TIMELE OF ABDUCTN, TORTURE AND MURR
• AMERI, DON’T ABANDON GAY CHECHENS
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• ONLY FIVE UNTRI ARE HELPG GAY CHECHENS LEAVE RSIA
• ACTIVISTS: CHECHEN AUTHORI ORR FAI TO KILL LGBT FAY MEMBERS, ALSO PAY RANSOMSHORRIFICACRDG TO MPAIGNERS, FAI CHECHNYA ARE BEG ORRED TO KILL THEIR LGBT RELATIV, WH THORI ALSO MANDG MONEY FOR THE RELEASE OF TAED LGBT RELATIV.ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED JAN. 19, 2019 3:01AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 18, 2019 10:50PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTIRSIAN MPAIGNERS HAVE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT CHECHEN THORI HAVE ORRED PEOPLE TO KILL LGBT MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN FAI, AND HAVE MAND RANSOMS FOR THE RELEASE OF TAED LGBT RELATIV.ACRDG TO REPORTS, AT LEAST 40 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRTED THE LAST TWO TO THREE WEEKS, MANY OF THEM TORTURED, A NEW CRACKDOWN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE CHECHNYA. TWO GAY MEN HAVE REPORTEDLY DIED FOLLOWG TORTURE.“CHECHEN THORI MAND THAT RELATIV PUNISH THEIR GAY FAY MEMBERS BY EXECUTG THEM,” ONE OF THE ST. PETERSBURG VOLUNTEERS FOR THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, WHO DID NOT WISH TO BE NAMED, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO MANAGED TO PE HAVE BEEN RAPED WH POLICE CLUBS AND TORTURED WH ELECTRICY.” THE TENTNS WERE REPORTEDLY RRIED OUT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THE SOUTHERN CY OF ARGUN. ALVI KARIMOV, SPOKMAN FOR CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV, TOLD REPORTERS MONDAY THE REPORTS ARE “PLETE LI AND DON’T HAVE AN OUNCE OF TTH THEM.”SVETLANA GANNHKA, A PROMENT HUMAN RIGHTS FENR, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT ON A RECENT AFTERNOON SHE HAD RECEIVED PHONE LLS OM A CHECHEN FAY, ASKG HER TO HELP AN ARRTED MALE RELATIVE.GANNHKA IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE PRINTIAL COUNCIL OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND HUMAN RIGHTS MOSW. “PEOPLE CHECHNYA BELIEVE THAT I N MAKE A FEW PHONE LLS AND SAVE THEIR LOVED ON. THIS FAY ASKED ME TO HELP AFTER POLICE HAD ARRTED THEIR RELATIVE AND MAND ONE LN BL ($15,090) OM THEM, OTHERWISE THE ENTIRE REPUBLIC WOULD KNOW THAT THEY HAD A GAY FAY MEMBER; AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD KILL THEIR BOY. SO THERE WERE TWO THREATS.”GANNHKA PUT THE FAY TOUCH WH AN ATTORNEY. ON JAN. 10 SHE HEARD THE MAN WAS EE. “THE POLICE MOST PROBABLY TOOK THEIR MONEY,” GANNHKA, NOW THE HEAD OF CIVIL ASSISTANCE COMMTEE, AN NGO, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ON THURSDAY. “THIS SUATN SOUND LIKE ONE MORE AWFUL ATROCY KADYROV'S CHECHNYA.”A HUMAN RIGHTS MPAIGNER CHECHNYA, WHO CLED TO BE NAMED, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE RECENTLY TAED GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE THREATENED WH PROSECUTN UNR ARTICLE #221 OF THE UNTRY’S CRIMAL , POSSSN OF DGS.BY TUDAY NIGHT, ACRDG TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS FENR, POLICE HAD RELEASED THE TAED GAY MEN AND WOMEN, WHO SIGNED AWAY THEIR RIGHT TO LEAVE THE REPUBLIC. ACRDG TO THE SOURCE, OFFICIALS RETAED THE PASSPORTS OF THE RELEASED LGBT PEOPLE.SCE 2017, RSIAN AND TERNATNAL LGBT WORKS HAVE MANAGED TO HELP 150 CHECHEN VICTIMS OF VLENCE PE TO WTERN UNTRI. TO EVACUATE ONE GAY PERSON OM CHECHNYA ABROAD, VOLUNTEERS HAVE TO RAISE UP TO 4,000 ROS ($4,544). “SCE THE BEGNG OF THE PURGE 2017, WE HAVE HEARD DOZENS OF STORI OM CHECHENS WHO WE HELPED ABOUT LOL ERNMENT OFFICIALS ORRG RELATIV TO EXECUTE THEIR FAY MEMBERS” CNN REPORTED THAT THE LATT TENTNS STARTED DECEMBER 2018, FOLLOWG THE ARRT OF AN ADMISTRATOR OF A NORTH CS GAY MEN’S GROUP ON THE RSIAN SOCIAL WORK VKONTAKTE.ACRDG TO VICTIMS, A VLENT CIRCLE OF TOP ERNMENT OFFICIALS AND POLICE MANRS ARE DRIVG THE MPAIGN TO EJECT GAY PEOPLE OM THE REPUBLIC. “SCE THE BEGNG OF THE PURGE 2017, WE HAVE HEARD DOZENS OF STORI OM CHECHENS WHO WE HELPED ABOUT LOL ERNMENT OFFICIALS ORRG RELATIV TO EXECUTE THEIR FAY MEMBERS,” ONE OF THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK’S MPAIGNERS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE SO-LLED ‘MURRS OF DIGNY’ ARE POPULAR CHECHNYA.”DZHAMBULAT UMAROV, THE CHECHEN MISTER OF NATNAL POLICY, REFERRED TO THE PRENT TENTN, TORTURE, AND ATH ALLEGATNS AS “FANTASY” AND “NONSENSE.” UMAROV ADD: “CONSIRG THE FACT THAT THEY (GAY PEOPLE) HAVE SICK IMAGATN TO START OM, I AM NOT SURPRISED THAT THEY N WRE NONSENSE LIKE THAT.” THE DAILY BEAST TERVIEWED RSIAN LGBT ACTIVISTS MOSW AND ST. PETERSBURG, WHO ANIZE THE EVACUATNS OF LGBT VICTIMS OF PERSECUTN OM THE REPUBLIC.ZOYA METISOVA, A 42-YEAR-OLD PSYCHOLOGIST AND VOLUNTEER WH THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, SAID THAT SCE MID-DECEMBER THE ANIZATN HAD RECEIVED MULTIPLE PLEAS FOR HELP OM LGBT CHECHENS.“CHECHENS ARE TOO SRED TO SPEAK WH ON THE PHONE, SO WE E AN EMAIL FOR EMERGENCY LLS,” METISOVA TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “SO FAR NO STATE AGENCY HAS APPROACHED WH HELP OR AID, WE HAVE TO LLECT MONEY AND ANIZE THE EVACUATN. IT IS VERY NCERNG THAT NOW THEY GRAB AND TORTURE NOT ONLY GAY MEN BUT ALSO GAY WOMEN CHECHNYA,” SHE ADD. IN 2017 MORE THAN 100 GAY MEN WERE ARRTED AND SUBJECTED TO TORTURE THE PREDOMANTLY MLIM REGN. WHEN JOURNALISTS ASKED KADYROV ABOUT ARRTS, HE SAID: “TAKE THEM FAR AWAY OM , SO WE DON’T HAVE THEM AT HOME. TO CLEANSE OUR BLOOD, IF THERE ARE ANY HERE.”PRINT VLADIMIR PUT HAS GRANTED KADYROV UNLIMED POWER. THERE IS ALMOST NOBODY THE REPUBLIC, WHICH HAS A POPULATN OF 1.3 LN, WHO IS WILLG TO GIVE SHELTER TO LGBT CHECHENS. LOL HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS FACE ARRT, ARSON AND MURR.DMRY GUDKOV, AN EX-KGB OFFICER AND AN OPPOSN LEAR, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE REACTN OF CHECHEN THORI WAS “SHAMEFUL,” AND THAT THE UNLAWFUL PURGE OF CHECHEN LGBT PEOPLE WAS MAKG MANY SENR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ANGRY. “KADYROV HAS GONE WILD AND SEEMS PUT NNOT NTROL HIM AT ALL,” GUDKOV TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “RSIA IS NOT A SHARIA UNTRY BUT A MOCRACY, WHERE CHECHEN NATNALS HAVE THE SAME NSTUTNAL RIGHTS AS EVERYBODY ELSE. IT IS PUT WHO SHOULD PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS.”THE TORTURE AND MURRS OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN HAVE NOT STOPPED THE TWO YEARS FOLLOWG THE FIRST CRACKDOWN. “KADYROV’S POLICE MAND WE GIVE THE NAM OF OTHER GAY MEN TO BE THREATENED AND BEATEN” ARSEN, A CHECHEN GAY MAN, WAS 24 YEARS OLD FEBARY 2017, WHEN SEVERAL UNIFORMED MEN KIDNAPPED HIM ON PUT PROSPECT, THE MA THOROUGHFARE GROZNY, AND LOCKED HIM UP WH A DOZEN OTHER GAY MEN A PRIVATE APARTMENT. “KADYROV’S POLICE MAND WE GIVE THE NAM OF OTHER GAY MEN TO BE THREATENED AND BEATEN,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST A PHONE TERVIEW ON TUDAY. AFTER HE SPENT 11 DAYS A POLICE JAIL GROZNY, ARSEN’S FAY DID NOT WANT TO HAVE ANYTHG TO DO WH HIM. “I SAW AWFUL THGS, VLENT BEATGS; I WAS HAPPY NOT TO SEE ANY WOMEN THAT JAIL. THEY WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED A DAY.“KADYROV'S ERNMENT NSIR GAY PEOPLE PERVERTS WHO HAVE NO RIGHT TO LIVE; MY FAY RENOUNCED ME, I HAD TO PE OM THE REPUBLIC TO SURVIVE.”THE SUATN FACG LGBT CHECHENS IS GETTG WORSE. “THIS TIME WE HEAR MORE ABOUT TORTURE OF WOMEN, AND POLICE RAPG BOTH GAY MEN AND WOMEN WH POLICE CLUBS,” METISOVA SAID. SERGEY MARKOV, A MEMBER OF CIVIC CHAMBER OF THE RSIAN FERATN, LLED ON THE RSIAN ERNMENT TO HELP THE CHECHEN LGBT MUNY. “I HAVE BEEN SAYG FOR A LONG TIME, THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SAFE STATE CHANNEL FOR THEM,” MARKOV SAID, MEANG THAT LGBT VICTIMS OF VLENCE SHOULD KNOW WHO TO LL THE ERNMENT SE OF EMERGENCY.HOWEVER, SAID MARKOV, “RSIAN OFFICIALS DO NOT LIKE THE TOPIC, GENERAL. THEY SEE FOREIGN SPECIAL SERVIC BEHD THE ALLEGATNS.” “IT IS REMARKABLE THAT THIS NEW WAVE OF ARRTS BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER OSCE (ORGANIZATN FOR COOPERATN AND SECURY EUROPE) PUBLISHED S REPORT DECEMBER, NFIRMG SER HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS CHECHNYA, AS IF CHECHEN THORI LNCHED A REVENGE,” TANYA LOKSHA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH’S EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA DIVISN, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.DURG THE EARLIER ANTI-LGBT PURGE, RSIAN STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI CLAIMED THAT ALL THE ALLEGATNS BY LGBT ACTIVISTS ABOUT TENTNS, TORTURE AND ATHS WERE FALSE, SCE THORI HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY NCRETE PLATS OM DIVIDUALS. TATYANA MOSKALKOVA, HIGH COMMISSNER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE RSIAN FERATN, ENURAGED CHECHEN VICTIMS “NOT TO BE AAID TO NTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI.” BUT SURVIVORS OF TORTURE AND PERSECUTNS SAY THEY ARE TERRIFIED OF CHECHEN OFFICIALS, WHO ARE A PART OF THE RSIAN FERATN LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM. ARSEN, WHO HAS SUCCSFULLY CLAIMED ASYLUM CANADA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, “I N BEE A WNS FOR A URT HEARG IF RSIA BEGS A SER VTIGATN OF CRIM AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.” ANNA NEMTSOVA
• CHECHEN MEN DCRIBE HOW THEY WERE TORTURED FOR BEG GAY
• GERMANY TO CHARGE FIVE LEARS OF CHECHEN ‘GAY PURGE’ WH CRIM AGAST HUMANY
• JOURNALIST WHO UNVERED CHECHNYA’S ANTI-GAY PURGE ATTACKED
• GAY-BASHG ‘PUT’S SOLDIER’ WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE YOUNG POLYGAMO BRISWHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?ACRDG TO AN PENNT REPORT, THE BTALLY HOMOPHOBIC CHECHEN LEAR HAS TAKEN MULTIPLE YOUNG BRIS SPE THE KREML’S BAN ON POLYGAMY. ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED APR. 16, 2021 4:27PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 08, 2021 4:58AM EDT YELENA AFONA\TASS VIA GETTY IMAGMOSCOW—CHECHEN LEAR AND PUT BUDDY RAMZAN KADYROV HAS TAKEN UP MULTIPLE WIV, CLUDG ONE WOMAN, FATIMA KHAZUYEVA, WHOM HE FIRST MET WHEN SHE WAS ONLY 15, ACRDG TO A REPORT PUBLISHED WEDNDAY.RELEASED BY THE PENNT OUTLET PROJECT, THE VTIGATIVE REPORT WAS FOCED ON RSIA TOLERATG “S OWN SULTANATE” WH S BORRS, ERNED UNR SEPARATE L. IT FEATURED A VIO AND IMAG OF A VILLA THAT SAYS BELONGS TO ONE OF KADYROV’S WIV, KHAZUYEVA, WHO WAS A TEENAGER WHEN KADYROV FIRST MET HER AT A CHECHEN BETY NTT.ALONG WH KHAZUYEVA, THE CHECHEN LEAR IS KNOWN TO BE MARRIED TO A NOW 35-YEAR-OLD DANCER AND SGER, AMAT AKHMADOVA. COUNTG HIS PUBLIC-FACG 42-YEAR-OLD FIRST WIFE, MEDNI KADYROVA—THAT MAK AT LEAST THREE WIV.THAT KADYROV MATAS A HAREM OF MULTIPLE WIV, SOME OF WHOM ARE QUE WEALTHY, HAS BEEN A SUBJECT OF LOL GOSSIP THROUGHOUT HIS LE. NOW, THERE IS SUBSTANTIVE EVINCE BACKG UP THOSE MORS MAJOR RSIAN MEDIA REPORTS. THE REPORT SET OFF A FLURRY OF OUTRAGED MENTARY ABOUT RSIA’S “STATE-WH-THE STATE,” CHECHNYA. THE RSIAN REPUBLIC OF CHECHNYA HAS BEE FAMO HUMAN RIGHTS CIRCL RECENT YEARS FOR S SYSTEMATIC AND BTAL REPRSN OF GAY MEN. BUT POLYGAMY—WHILE FORMALLY OUTLAWED UNR RSIAN LAW—IS A DIFFERENT STORY, AND THE KREML HAS EXEMPTED CHECHNYA OM S BAN ON THE PRACTICE.AFTER TWO POST-SOVIET WARS WH RSIA, THE REPUBLIC WAS GRANTED BROAD FACTO TONOMY EXCHANGE FOR LOYALTY TO MOSW, ALLOWG TO FUNCTN UNR S OWN LAWS ENFORCED BY KADYROV, THE 44-YEAR-OLD CHECHEN LEAR KNOWN AS “PUT’S SOLDIER” FOR HIS CLOSE ALLYSHIP WH THE RSIAN PRINT.PUT HAD SERVED AS SOMEWHAT OF A MENTOR TO KADYROV WHEN HE WAS THST TO LEADG CHECHNYA AT AGE 29, A YEAR AFTER HIS FATHER, THE FORMER CHECHEN PRINT AKHMAT KADYROV, WAS ASSASSATED A 2004 BOMBG ATTACK. IN A S-DOWN TERVIEW ONE OF KADYROV’S PALAC THE CY OF GURM MORE THAN A AGO, THE CHECHEN LEAR TOLD THIS RRPONNT: “AS LONG AS PUT BACKS ME UP, I N DO EVERYTHG—GOD IS GREAT!”ALONG WH THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICL, MARBLE PALAC, A PRIVATE ZOO, AND FAY HOLIDAYS DUBAI AND JORDAN, THE CHECHEN LEAR IS OFTEN PHOTOGRAPHED WH YOUNG SGERS AND MOLS. HE HAS OPENLY PROMOTED POLYGAMY BUT HAS NOT PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED HAVG MULTIPLE WIV. THERE IS NO PENNT MEDIA CHECHNYA’S MOUNTA REGN, SO THERE’S LTLE TO NO REPORTG THAT HAS NFIRMED EXACTLY HOW MANY WOMEN KADYROV IS MARRIED TO. BUT THANKS TO THE TER, STREET JOURNALISM, AND FOLK CULTURE, THOSE TAILS HAVE GRADUALLY EMERGED THE PUBLIC SPHERE.IN 2014, A CHECHEN SGER, TAA SAGAIPOVA, LISTED ALL OF KADYROV’S REPUTED LOVERS A LIVELY SONG LLED “MY NANAK,” NAMED AFTER KADYROV’S FAY NICKNAME. NOBODY CHECHNYA WOULD DARE TO PLAY THE SONG A PUBLIC PLACE, BUT THE ENTIRE REPUBLIC KNOWS THE LYRICS OF THE UNRGROUND SONG AND THE STORI OF THE 12 WOMEN MENTNED BY THEIR FIRST NAM AND RPECTIVE QUALI.“KADYROV’S POLICE SHUT DOWN A GAS STATN GROZNY ONCE AFTER THE OWNER PLAYED THE SONG LOUDLY,” A LOL HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO CLED TO BE NAMED FOR HER OWN SAFETY, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ON WEDNDAY.EXPERTS AGREE THAT THE RSIAN LEGAL SYSTEM IS NO MATCH FOR CHECHNYA’S EPLY ENTRENCHED “TRADNS.” SO THE KREML LETS CERTA PRACTIC—CLUDG POLYGAMY—SLI, EVEN IF ’S AT ODDS WH RSIA’S OWN POLICI.“THE KREML MAK EXCLNS FOR THE CHECHEN SOCIETY TRMATIZED BY A -LONG WAR. POLYGAMY IS TRADNAL THERE. BIS, EVERY MOSW OLIGARCH HAS THREE OR FOUR LOVERS SECRET, WHILE KADYROV, WHO IS YOUNG AND HAS A LOT OF ENERGY, MARRI HIS WOMEN,” SERGEI MARKOV, A KREML-ALIGNED POLIL MENTATOR BASED CHECHNYA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST A PHONE TERVIEW.“WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY WIV HE HAS. OF URSE WE SHOULD RRECT SOME EXTREM, SUCH AS MARRIAGE TO TEEN GIRLS. IN A WAY, HIS TREATMENT OF YOUNG WOMEN ULD BE SEEN AS A PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVY, DONE OUT OF FATHERLY FEELGS,” HE SAID.THERE HAS BEEN A GROWG TREND AMONG THE WIV OF MIDDLE EASTERN LERS TO PH FOR REFORMS AND FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS. BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, CHECHEN WOMEN ARE SILENCED.“NOBODY CHECHNYA DAR TO CRICIZE KADYROV FOR HIS HAREM. ON THE NTRARY, SOME MOTHERS WOULD WISH FOR THEIR DGHTERS TO FALL HIS FAVOR AND GROW RICH,” A CHECHEN ADVOTE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.“IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNRSTAND THAT EVERY CHECHEN FAY IS STILL HURTG AFTER TWO WARS WH THE RSIAN ARY. HEARTBROKEN PEOPLE HOPE TO FD THEIR MISSG RELATIV AND STGGLE TO PROVI FOR THEIR FAI. THEY HAVE NO TIME TO UNT KADYROV’S WIV,” SHE ADD.THE CHECHEN LEAR AND HIS CIRCLE DO NOT TOLERATE ANY CRICISM OM JOURNALISTS OR HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS WHO SPEAK OUT AGAST THE VLENT PURGE OF LOL GAY MEN, WHO ARE EQUENTLY NMNED AS THE “PEOPLE’S ENEMI.” KADYROV’S FAHFUL GUARDS REGULARLY THREATEN AND ATTACK REPORTERS AND PENNT CULTURAL FIGUR.THE FILM DIRECTOR VALY MANSKY, FOUNR OF RSIA’S BIGGT PENNT DOCUMENTARY FTIVAL ARTDOCFT, SAYS THAT TO AVOID ATTACKS, THE FTIVAL HAD TO SCREEN DAIMOKH—A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT KADYROV’S THIRD WIFE, THE DANCER AMA AKHMADOVA—OUTSI OF RSIA, LATVIA.THE FILMMAKER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ABOUT THE THREATS HE RECEIVED ON SUNDAY BEFORE SCREENG ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FILMS, QUIET VOICE, ABOUT A CHECHEN GAY MAN.“A MAN TRODUCG HIMSELF AS SULIM,” WHO SHOWED UP AT A MOVIE THEATER DURG THE FTIVAL, “TOLD ME THERE WERE NO LGBT PEOPLE CHECHNYA AND THAT OUR FILM WOULD SULT THE ENTIRE NATN,” MANSKY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. AS A RULT OF NTUED THREATS AND PRSURE, ARTDOCFT HAD TO NCEL THE SCREENG OF THE FILM.“CHECHNYA ALREADY DICTAT S OWN L MOSW,” ADD MANSKY. “THE PRSURE ON PUBLIC EEDOM IS NSTANTLY CREASG.” ANNA NEMTSOVA
• JOURNALIST WHO REVEALED KILLG OF GAY MEN IN CHECHNYA BTALLY ATTACKED

2 GAY CHECHENS HELD ON TERROR CHARG WHOUT PROOF – NGO

Two gay men who were forcibly returned to Chechnya this month have been charged wh terror-related offens whout proof and face up to 15 years prison, a rights group said Wednday.

Authori  Rsia's rtive regn of Chechnya have e unr fire recent years om rights groups, which acce officials of jailg and torturg homosexuals secret prisons. The LGBT Network rights group said Wednday that two gay men who fled Chechnya last year but were arrted and returned this month have been charged wh aidg an illegal armed group. This cy is the pal of the Chechen Republic -- part of the Rsian Feratn -- and the foc of what many are llg a gay purge over the last two ab had slipped om the headl, but over the urse of a year, rights groups had told that the persecutn has ntued and that thori had waed for the backlash to subsi.

The thori ny all this, and have famoly said gay people don’t even exist -- part of the reason I later thought would be valid to brg up my own sexualy.

THAT TIME I TOLD THE HEAD OF CHECHEN POLICE I WAS GAY. STANDG A JAIL CELL: REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Sanctns list for human rights vlatns and ’s his police force that's been acced of torturg and imprisong gay of the most important men the untry wanted to spend the eveng wh and he seemed lighted at the attentn. But I don’t thk any n pare to tellg a man who is the head of a police force acced of torturg hundreds of LGBTQ people that I’m ma our way to the prison block, and by this time, we had amassed a small followg of armed guards and other officials: a bigger dience for the general's one-man News' Jam Longman toured a prison wh Apti Aldov, the head of police Chechnya, a Rsian republic that has allegedly purged LGBTQ people over the last two Longman As we walked, I gradually got the sense that might be ok to tell him I’m gay. In fact, I thk that perhaps reaffirmed his own valu to him: that Chechnya has a superr culture, and that the Wt has allowed homosexualy to weaken ours.

CHECHNYA’S HORRIFIC ‘GAY PURGE’: A 4-YEAR TIMELE OF ABDUCTN, TORTURE AND MURR

I told him my sexualy bee perhaps on some level I thought that I uld shift somethg his md and challenge his perceptns about gay as we sat the parkg lot of our hotel, I said to him, "We have spent the afternoon [and] eveng together.

April 1, 2021, marks four years sce the world at large was first ma aware of Chechnya’s gay purge — atroci mted agast LGBTQ people wh the Rsian republic’s borrs, a horrific, ongog stratagem of abductn, tament, torture and murr. Gradually rebed by Wtern ernments over the years as first-hand acunts began to emerge, Chechnya’s gay purge has largely been ignored — if not supported through omissn — by Rsian Print Vladimir Put and his ernment.

AMERI, DON’T ABANDON GAY CHECHENS

Abhorrent extrajudicial actns agast LGBTQ people did not first sprg up April of 2017; ed, lol thori excelled at blackmailg the republic’s gay muny for years prr. After weeks of verifitn, the Rsian-language newspaper shar heart-wrenchg news out of Rsia’s North Cs: More than 100 people have been taed Chechnya, all of whom are gay or spected to be.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Some of the taed were eventually released and able to flee Chechnya, while others were released only upon handg over about other gay iends and acquatanc. ” Lol thori tell a news agency, “You nnot arrt or reprs people who jt don’t exist the republic, ” suggtg that Chechnya has no gay cizens, and that if did, those cizens’ relativ would have executed them unr honor killg ctoms. Amnty Internatnal lnch an “urgent actn” mpaign askg dividuals to wre to Rsian thori “urgg them to rry out prompt, effective and thorough vtigatns to the reports of abductns and killgs of men believed to be gay Chechnya and to ensure that anyone found guilty or plic such crim will be brought to jtice acrdance wh the laws of the Rsian Feratn.

ONLY FIVE UNTRI ARE HELPG GAY CHECHENS LEAVE RSIA

One of the victims of Chechnya’s gay purge, an aforementned TV journalist, has all footage of his past reportg erased by the Chechen State TV and Rad Company he worked for — “as if he simply did not exist. It’s now believed that up to several hundred gay men have been round up, some killed, Chechnya, and The Guardian publish this story followg terviews wh gay men who claim they were tortured secret tentn facili. The newspaper urg the Rsian ernment to rpond to lls for a jihad agast journalists reportg on Chechnya’s gay purge, cg the April 3 meetg of 15, 000 at the central mosque of Grozny.

Lra Weste, print of the Colombian-based NGO Gpo Acción y Apoyo a Personas Trans tweets a satelle picture that reportedly shows one lotn where gay men are beg held Chechnya’s gay purge.

OutRight Actn Internatnal urg three oil pani wh large vtments Rsian oil and gas — Brish Petrolm, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell — to publicly nmn Chechnya’s gay purge. As part of a special vtigatn, CNN releas terviews wh multiple victims of Chechnya’s gay purge (their inti ncealed), who discs the form their torture took and the “ath sentence” that has always rulted om beg openly gay the Southern Rsian republic.

ACTIVISTS: CHECHEN AUTHORI ORR FAI TO KILL LGBT FAY MEMBERS, ALSO PAY RANSOMSHORRIFICACRDG TO MPAIGNERS, FAI CHECHNYA ARE BEG ORRED TO KILL THEIR LGBT RELATIV, WH THORI ALSO MANDG MONEY FOR THE RELEASE OF TAED LGBT RELATIV.ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED JAN. 19, 2019 3:01AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 18, 2019 10:50PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTIRSIAN MPAIGNERS HAVE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT CHECHEN THORI HAVE ORRED PEOPLE TO KILL LGBT MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN FAI, AND HAVE MAND RANSOMS FOR THE RELEASE OF TAED LGBT RELATIV.ACRDG TO REPORTS, AT LEAST 40 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRTED THE LAST TWO TO THREE WEEKS, MANY OF THEM TORTURED, A NEW CRACKDOWN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE CHECHNYA. TWO GAY MEN HAVE REPORTEDLY DIED FOLLOWG TORTURE.“CHECHEN THORI MAND THAT RELATIV PUNISH THEIR GAY FAY MEMBERS BY EXECUTG THEM,” ONE OF THE ST. PETERSBURG VOLUNTEERS FOR THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, WHO DID NOT WISH TO BE NAMED, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO MANAGED TO PE HAVE BEEN RAPED WH POLICE CLUBS AND TORTURED WH ELECTRICY.” THE TENTNS WERE REPORTEDLY RRIED OUT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THE SOUTHERN CY OF ARGUN. ALVI KARIMOV, SPOKMAN FOR CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV, TOLD REPORTERS MONDAY THE REPORTS ARE “PLETE LI AND DON’T HAVE AN OUNCE OF TTH THEM.”SVETLANA GANNHKA, A PROMENT HUMAN RIGHTS FENR, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT ON A RECENT AFTERNOON SHE HAD RECEIVED PHONE LLS OM A CHECHEN FAY, ASKG HER TO HELP AN ARRTED MALE RELATIVE.GANNHKA IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE PRINTIAL COUNCIL OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND HUMAN RIGHTS MOSW. “PEOPLE CHECHNYA BELIEVE THAT I N MAKE A FEW PHONE LLS AND SAVE THEIR LOVED ON. THIS FAY ASKED ME TO HELP AFTER POLICE HAD ARRTED THEIR RELATIVE AND MAND ONE LN BL ($15,090) OM THEM, OTHERWISE THE ENTIRE REPUBLIC WOULD KNOW THAT THEY HAD A GAY FAY MEMBER; AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD KILL THEIR BOY. SO THERE WERE TWO THREATS.”GANNHKA PUT THE FAY TOUCH WH AN ATTORNEY. ON JAN. 10 SHE HEARD THE MAN WAS EE. “THE POLICE MOST PROBABLY TOOK THEIR MONEY,” GANNHKA, NOW THE HEAD OF CIVIL ASSISTANCE COMMTEE, AN NGO, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ON THURSDAY. “THIS SUATN SOUND LIKE ONE MORE AWFUL ATROCY KADYROV'S CHECHNYA.”A HUMAN RIGHTS MPAIGNER CHECHNYA, WHO CLED TO BE NAMED, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE RECENTLY TAED GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE THREATENED WH PROSECUTN UNR ARTICLE #221 OF THE UNTRY’S CRIMAL , POSSSN OF DGS.BY TUDAY NIGHT, ACRDG TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS FENR, POLICE HAD RELEASED THE TAED GAY MEN AND WOMEN, WHO SIGNED AWAY THEIR RIGHT TO LEAVE THE REPUBLIC. ACRDG TO THE SOURCE, OFFICIALS RETAED THE PASSPORTS OF THE RELEASED LGBT PEOPLE.SCE 2017, RSIAN AND TERNATNAL LGBT WORKS HAVE MANAGED TO HELP 150 CHECHEN VICTIMS OF VLENCE PE TO WTERN UNTRI. TO EVACUATE ONE GAY PERSON OM CHECHNYA ABROAD, VOLUNTEERS HAVE TO RAISE UP TO 4,000 ROS ($4,544). “SCE THE BEGNG OF THE PURGE 2017, WE HAVE HEARD DOZENS OF STORI OM CHECHENS WHO WE HELPED ABOUT LOL ERNMENT OFFICIALS ORRG RELATIV TO EXECUTE THEIR FAY MEMBERS” CNN REPORTED THAT THE LATT TENTNS STARTED DECEMBER 2018, FOLLOWG THE ARRT OF AN ADMISTRATOR OF A NORTH CS GAY MEN’S GROUP ON THE RSIAN SOCIAL WORK VKONTAKTE.ACRDG TO VICTIMS, A VLENT CIRCLE OF TOP ERNMENT OFFICIALS AND POLICE MANRS ARE DRIVG THE MPAIGN TO EJECT GAY PEOPLE OM THE REPUBLIC. “SCE THE BEGNG OF THE PURGE 2017, WE HAVE HEARD DOZENS OF STORI OM CHECHENS WHO WE HELPED ABOUT LOL ERNMENT OFFICIALS ORRG RELATIV TO EXECUTE THEIR FAY MEMBERS,” ONE OF THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK’S MPAIGNERS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “THE SO-LLED ‘MURRS OF DIGNY’ ARE POPULAR CHECHNYA.”DZHAMBULAT UMAROV, THE CHECHEN MISTER OF NATNAL POLICY, REFERRED TO THE PRENT TENTN, TORTURE, AND ATH ALLEGATNS AS “FANTASY” AND “NONSENSE.” UMAROV ADD: “CONSIRG THE FACT THAT THEY (GAY PEOPLE) HAVE SICK IMAGATN TO START OM, I AM NOT SURPRISED THAT THEY N WRE NONSENSE LIKE THAT.” THE DAILY BEAST TERVIEWED RSIAN LGBT ACTIVISTS MOSW AND ST. PETERSBURG, WHO ANIZE THE EVACUATNS OF LGBT VICTIMS OF PERSECUTN OM THE REPUBLIC.ZOYA METISOVA, A 42-YEAR-OLD PSYCHOLOGIST AND VOLUNTEER WH THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, SAID THAT SCE MID-DECEMBER THE ANIZATN HAD RECEIVED MULTIPLE PLEAS FOR HELP OM LGBT CHECHENS.“CHECHENS ARE TOO SRED TO SPEAK WH ON THE PHONE, SO WE E AN EMAIL FOR EMERGENCY LLS,” METISOVA TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “SO FAR NO STATE AGENCY HAS APPROACHED WH HELP OR AID, WE HAVE TO LLECT MONEY AND ANIZE THE EVACUATN. IT IS VERY NCERNG THAT NOW THEY GRAB AND TORTURE NOT ONLY GAY MEN BUT ALSO GAY WOMEN CHECHNYA,” SHE ADD. IN 2017 MORE THAN 100 GAY MEN WERE ARRTED AND SUBJECTED TO TORTURE THE PREDOMANTLY MLIM REGN. WHEN JOURNALISTS ASKED KADYROV ABOUT ARRTS, HE SAID: “TAKE THEM FAR AWAY OM , SO WE DON’T HAVE THEM AT HOME. TO CLEANSE OUR BLOOD, IF THERE ARE ANY HERE.”PRINT VLADIMIR PUT HAS GRANTED KADYROV UNLIMED POWER. THERE IS ALMOST NOBODY THE REPUBLIC, WHICH HAS A POPULATN OF 1.3 LN, WHO IS WILLG TO GIVE SHELTER TO LGBT CHECHENS. LOL HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS FACE ARRT, ARSON AND MURR.DMRY GUDKOV, AN EX-KGB OFFICER AND AN OPPOSN LEAR, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE REACTN OF CHECHEN THORI WAS “SHAMEFUL,” AND THAT THE UNLAWFUL PURGE OF CHECHEN LGBT PEOPLE WAS MAKG MANY SENR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ANGRY. “KADYROV HAS GONE WILD AND SEEMS PUT NNOT NTROL HIM AT ALL,” GUDKOV TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “RSIA IS NOT A SHARIA UNTRY BUT A MOCRACY, WHERE CHECHEN NATNALS HAVE THE SAME NSTUTNAL RIGHTS AS EVERYBODY ELSE. IT IS PUT WHO SHOULD PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS.”THE TORTURE AND MURRS OF GAY MEN AND WOMEN HAVE NOT STOPPED THE TWO YEARS FOLLOWG THE FIRST CRACKDOWN. “KADYROV’S POLICE MAND WE GIVE THE NAM OF OTHER GAY MEN TO BE THREATENED AND BEATEN” ARSEN, A CHECHEN GAY MAN, WAS 24 YEARS OLD FEBARY 2017, WHEN SEVERAL UNIFORMED MEN KIDNAPPED HIM ON PUT PROSPECT, THE MA THOROUGHFARE GROZNY, AND LOCKED HIM UP WH A DOZEN OTHER GAY MEN A PRIVATE APARTMENT. “KADYROV’S POLICE MAND WE GIVE THE NAM OF OTHER GAY MEN TO BE THREATENED AND BEATEN,” HE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST A PHONE TERVIEW ON TUDAY. AFTER HE SPENT 11 DAYS A POLICE JAIL GROZNY, ARSEN’S FAY DID NOT WANT TO HAVE ANYTHG TO DO WH HIM. “I SAW AWFUL THGS, VLENT BEATGS; I WAS HAPPY NOT TO SEE ANY WOMEN THAT JAIL. THEY WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED A DAY.“KADYROV'S ERNMENT NSIR GAY PEOPLE PERVERTS WHO HAVE NO RIGHT TO LIVE; MY FAY RENOUNCED ME, I HAD TO PE OM THE REPUBLIC TO SURVIVE.”THE SUATN FACG LGBT CHECHENS IS GETTG WORSE. “THIS TIME WE HEAR MORE ABOUT TORTURE OF WOMEN, AND POLICE RAPG BOTH GAY MEN AND WOMEN WH POLICE CLUBS,” METISOVA SAID. SERGEY MARKOV, A MEMBER OF CIVIC CHAMBER OF THE RSIAN FERATN, LLED ON THE RSIAN ERNMENT TO HELP THE CHECHEN LGBT MUNY. “I HAVE BEEN SAYG FOR A LONG TIME, THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SAFE STATE CHANNEL FOR THEM,” MARKOV SAID, MEANG THAT LGBT VICTIMS OF VLENCE SHOULD KNOW WHO TO LL THE ERNMENT SE OF EMERGENCY.HOWEVER, SAID MARKOV, “RSIAN OFFICIALS DO NOT LIKE THE TOPIC, GENERAL. THEY SEE FOREIGN SPECIAL SERVIC BEHD THE ALLEGATNS.” “IT IS REMARKABLE THAT THIS NEW WAVE OF ARRTS BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER OSCE (ORGANIZATN FOR COOPERATN AND SECURY EUROPE) PUBLISHED S REPORT DECEMBER, NFIRMG SER HUMAN RIGHTS VLATNS CHECHNYA, AS IF CHECHEN THORI LNCHED A REVENGE,” TANYA LOKSHA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH’S EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA DIVISN, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.DURG THE EARLIER ANTI-LGBT PURGE, RSIAN STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI CLAIMED THAT ALL THE ALLEGATNS BY LGBT ACTIVISTS ABOUT TENTNS, TORTURE AND ATHS WERE FALSE, SCE THORI HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY NCRETE PLATS OM DIVIDUALS. TATYANA MOSKALKOVA, HIGH COMMISSNER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE RSIAN FERATN, ENURAGED CHECHEN VICTIMS “NOT TO BE AAID TO NTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCI.” BUT SURVIVORS OF TORTURE AND PERSECUTNS SAY THEY ARE TERRIFIED OF CHECHEN OFFICIALS, WHO ARE A PART OF THE RSIAN FERATN LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM. ARSEN, WHO HAS SUCCSFULLY CLAIMED ASYLUM CANADA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, “I N BEE A WNS FOR A URT HEARG IF RSIA BEGS A SER VTIGATN OF CRIM AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.” ANNA NEMTSOVA

Speakg to Gay Star News, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokperson the UK nfirms that Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, has threatened to rid the area of homosexualy “by Ramadan, ” which falls on May 26.

Other ci see anized protts agast Chechnya’s gay purge as well, cludg London (April 12), Amsterdam (April 19), Toronto (April 22) and Manchter (April 23).

Novaya Gazeta reports there are six known secret prisons for gays Chechnya, one of which is loted the town of Argun and another is the village of Tsotsi-Yurt. Durg a public prs nference wh Vladimir Put, German Chancellor Angela Merkel be the only world lear th far to speak out amid the ongog reports of Chechnya’s gay purge. She lls on Put to “e his fluence to guarantee the rights of mori” after hearg “negative reports on the treatment of homosexuals, particularly Chechnya.

CHECHEN MEN DCRIBE HOW THEY WERE TORTURED FOR BEG GAY

Followg reports of a 17-year-old man thrown off a nth floor balny by his own uncle for beg gay, Hor announc the lnch of s “Know Your Rights” mpaign, an tnal effort to help make gay men and travelers aware of their rights different untri around the world. One week after Rsia promised to nduct an vtigatn to Chechnya’s gay purge, the Rsian Embassy to Israel wr to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “There are no victims of persecutn, threats or vlence” the republic.

One of many artists and activists spreadg rmatn and brgg awarens to Chechnya’s gay purge, Brooklyn-based illtrator Pl Tuller sells a new T-shirt, wh 100% of the profs gog to the Rsian LGBTQ Network.

Three French LGBTQ groups — Stop Homophobia, Mose and Come Idaho France — file a plat agast Chechnya wh the Internatnal Crimal Court, accg the Rsian republic of “a policy of genoci” towards gay people and blamg Chechen print Ramzan Kadyrov and his officials for a “wave of persecutn. The Baltic News Service reports that the eastern European natn of Lhuania has granted visas to at least two men who fled Chechnya’s gay purge, timed wh the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).

GERMANY TO CHARGE FIVE LEARS OF CHECHEN ‘GAY PURGE’ WH CRIM AGAST HUMANY

The prott ends peacefully wh no arrts or major disturbanc, even though such non-permted monstratns are illegal Rsia and n afoul of the natn’s so-lled “gay propaganda” law. Novaya Gazeta publish a report sayg 26 people have now been murred “extrajudicial killgs” as part of Chechnya’s gay purge, and go on to acce Chechen thori of a systematic sabotage of Rsia’s vtigatn efforts.

JOURNALIST WHO UNVERED CHECHNYA’S ANTI-GAY PURGE ATTACKED

The ostensible purpose of the torture is to get the nam of other gay men, but one refugee tells Human Rights Watch that if a victim giv up rmatn, actually prolongs the torture hop of more rmatn.

GAY-BASHG ‘PUT’S SOLDIER’ WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE YOUNG POLYGAMO BRISWHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?ACRDG TO AN PENNT REPORT, THE BTALLY HOMOPHOBIC CHECHEN LEAR HAS TAKEN MULTIPLE YOUNG BRIS SPE THE KREML’S BAN ON POLYGAMY. ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED APR. 16, 2021 4:27PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 08, 2021 4:58AM EDT YELENA AFONA\TASS VIA GETTY IMAGMOSCOW—CHECHEN LEAR AND PUT BUDDY RAMZAN KADYROV HAS TAKEN UP MULTIPLE WIV, CLUDG ONE WOMAN, FATIMA KHAZUYEVA, WHOM HE FIRST MET WHEN SHE WAS ONLY 15, ACRDG TO A REPORT PUBLISHED WEDNDAY.RELEASED BY THE PENNT OUTLET PROJECT, THE VTIGATIVE REPORT WAS FOCED ON RSIA TOLERATG “S OWN SULTANATE” WH S BORRS, ERNED UNR SEPARATE L. IT FEATURED A VIO AND IMAG OF A VILLA THAT SAYS BELONGS TO ONE OF KADYROV’S WIV, KHAZUYEVA, WHO WAS A TEENAGER WHEN KADYROV FIRST MET HER AT A CHECHEN BETY NTT.ALONG WH KHAZUYEVA, THE CHECHEN LEAR IS KNOWN TO BE MARRIED TO A NOW 35-YEAR-OLD DANCER AND SGER, AMAT AKHMADOVA. COUNTG HIS PUBLIC-FACG 42-YEAR-OLD FIRST WIFE, MEDNI KADYROVA—THAT MAK AT LEAST THREE WIV.THAT KADYROV MATAS A HAREM OF MULTIPLE WIV, SOME OF WHOM ARE QUE WEALTHY, HAS BEEN A SUBJECT OF LOL GOSSIP THROUGHOUT HIS LE. NOW, THERE IS SUBSTANTIVE EVINCE BACKG UP THOSE MORS MAJOR RSIAN MEDIA REPORTS. THE REPORT SET OFF A FLURRY OF OUTRAGED MENTARY ABOUT RSIA’S “STATE-WH-THE STATE,” CHECHNYA. THE RSIAN REPUBLIC OF CHECHNYA HAS BEE FAMO HUMAN RIGHTS CIRCL RECENT YEARS FOR S SYSTEMATIC AND BTAL REPRSN OF GAY MEN. BUT POLYGAMY—WHILE FORMALLY OUTLAWED UNR RSIAN LAW—IS A DIFFERENT STORY, AND THE KREML HAS EXEMPTED CHECHNYA OM S BAN ON THE PRACTICE.AFTER TWO POST-SOVIET WARS WH RSIA, THE REPUBLIC WAS GRANTED BROAD FACTO TONOMY EXCHANGE FOR LOYALTY TO MOSW, ALLOWG TO FUNCTN UNR S OWN LAWS ENFORCED BY KADYROV, THE 44-YEAR-OLD CHECHEN LEAR KNOWN AS “PUT’S SOLDIER” FOR HIS CLOSE ALLYSHIP WH THE RSIAN PRINT.PUT HAD SERVED AS SOMEWHAT OF A MENTOR TO KADYROV WHEN HE WAS THST TO LEADG CHECHNYA AT AGE 29, A YEAR AFTER HIS FATHER, THE FORMER CHECHEN PRINT AKHMAT KADYROV, WAS ASSASSATED A 2004 BOMBG ATTACK. IN A S-DOWN TERVIEW ONE OF KADYROV’S PALAC THE CY OF GURM MORE THAN A AGO, THE CHECHEN LEAR TOLD THIS RRPONNT: “AS LONG AS PUT BACKS ME UP, I N DO EVERYTHG—GOD IS GREAT!”ALONG WH THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICL, MARBLE PALAC, A PRIVATE ZOO, AND FAY HOLIDAYS DUBAI AND JORDAN, THE CHECHEN LEAR IS OFTEN PHOTOGRAPHED WH YOUNG SGERS AND MOLS. HE HAS OPENLY PROMOTED POLYGAMY BUT HAS NOT PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED HAVG MULTIPLE WIV. THERE IS NO PENNT MEDIA CHECHNYA’S MOUNTA REGN, SO THERE’S LTLE TO NO REPORTG THAT HAS NFIRMED EXACTLY HOW MANY WOMEN KADYROV IS MARRIED TO. BUT THANKS TO THE TER, STREET JOURNALISM, AND FOLK CULTURE, THOSE TAILS HAVE GRADUALLY EMERGED THE PUBLIC SPHERE.IN 2014, A CHECHEN SGER, TAA SAGAIPOVA, LISTED ALL OF KADYROV’S REPUTED LOVERS A LIVELY SONG LLED “MY NANAK,” NAMED AFTER KADYROV’S FAY NICKNAME. NOBODY CHECHNYA WOULD DARE TO PLAY THE SONG A PUBLIC PLACE, BUT THE ENTIRE REPUBLIC KNOWS THE LYRICS OF THE UNRGROUND SONG AND THE STORI OF THE 12 WOMEN MENTNED BY THEIR FIRST NAM AND RPECTIVE QUALI.“KADYROV’S POLICE SHUT DOWN A GAS STATN GROZNY ONCE AFTER THE OWNER PLAYED THE SONG LOUDLY,” A LOL HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO CLED TO BE NAMED FOR HER OWN SAFETY, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ON WEDNDAY.EXPERTS AGREE THAT THE RSIAN LEGAL SYSTEM IS NO MATCH FOR CHECHNYA’S EPLY ENTRENCHED “TRADNS.” SO THE KREML LETS CERTA PRACTIC—CLUDG POLYGAMY—SLI, EVEN IF ’S AT ODDS WH RSIA’S OWN POLICI.“THE KREML MAK EXCLNS FOR THE CHECHEN SOCIETY TRMATIZED BY A -LONG WAR. POLYGAMY IS TRADNAL THERE. BIS, EVERY MOSW OLIGARCH HAS THREE OR FOUR LOVERS SECRET, WHILE KADYROV, WHO IS YOUNG AND HAS A LOT OF ENERGY, MARRI HIS WOMEN,” SERGEI MARKOV, A KREML-ALIGNED POLIL MENTATOR BASED CHECHNYA, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST A PHONE TERVIEW.“WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY WIV HE HAS. OF URSE WE SHOULD RRECT SOME EXTREM, SUCH AS MARRIAGE TO TEEN GIRLS. IN A WAY, HIS TREATMENT OF YOUNG WOMEN ULD BE SEEN AS A PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVY, DONE OUT OF FATHERLY FEELGS,” HE SAID.THERE HAS BEEN A GROWG TREND AMONG THE WIV OF MIDDLE EASTERN LERS TO PH FOR REFORMS AND FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS. BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, CHECHEN WOMEN ARE SILENCED.“NOBODY CHECHNYA DAR TO CRICIZE KADYROV FOR HIS HAREM. ON THE NTRARY, SOME MOTHERS WOULD WISH FOR THEIR DGHTERS TO FALL HIS FAVOR AND GROW RICH,” A CHECHEN ADVOTE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.“IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNRSTAND THAT EVERY CHECHEN FAY IS STILL HURTG AFTER TWO WARS WH THE RSIAN ARY. HEARTBROKEN PEOPLE HOPE TO FD THEIR MISSG RELATIV AND STGGLE TO PROVI FOR THEIR FAI. THEY HAVE NO TIME TO UNT KADYROV’S WIV,” SHE ADD.THE CHECHEN LEAR AND HIS CIRCLE DO NOT TOLERATE ANY CRICISM OM JOURNALISTS OR HUMAN RIGHTS FENRS WHO SPEAK OUT AGAST THE VLENT PURGE OF LOL GAY MEN, WHO ARE EQUENTLY NMNED AS THE “PEOPLE’S ENEMI.” KADYROV’S FAHFUL GUARDS REGULARLY THREATEN AND ATTACK REPORTERS AND PENNT CULTURAL FIGUR.THE FILM DIRECTOR VALY MANSKY, FOUNR OF RSIA’S BIGGT PENNT DOCUMENTARY FTIVAL ARTDOCFT, SAYS THAT TO AVOID ATTACKS, THE FTIVAL HAD TO SCREEN DAIMOKH—A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT KADYROV’S THIRD WIFE, THE DANCER AMA AKHMADOVA—OUTSI OF RSIA, LATVIA.THE FILMMAKER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST ABOUT THE THREATS HE RECEIVED ON SUNDAY BEFORE SCREENG ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FILMS, QUIET VOICE, ABOUT A CHECHEN GAY MAN.“A MAN TRODUCG HIMSELF AS SULIM,” WHO SHOWED UP AT A MOVIE THEATER DURG THE FTIVAL, “TOLD ME THERE WERE NO LGBT PEOPLE CHECHNYA AND THAT OUR FILM WOULD SULT THE ENTIRE NATN,” MANSKY TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. AS A RULT OF NTUED THREATS AND PRSURE, ARTDOCFT HAD TO NCEL THE SCREENG OF THE FILM.“CHECHNYA ALREADY DICTAT S OWN L MOSW,” ADD MANSKY. “THE PRSURE ON PUBLIC EEDOM IS NSTANTLY CREASG.” ANNA NEMTSOVA

Officials also rerd the torture ssns on cellphone meras to show fai later as proof of what will happen to them if they do not “remove the sta of homosexual shame om their fai. On the eve of the first G20 summ meetg between Tmp and Put, The Rsian LGBT Network — which has at this pot helped approximately 40 gay Chechens pe the regn — says has “received more lls om Chechnya the last 72 hours” and has “credible evince that arrts are happeng aga. The special ss down wh both Kadyrov (his first terview wh a Wtern reporter years) and Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milasha, who ially broke the story of Chechnya’s gay purge.

While beg terviewed, Kadyrov refers to Chechnya as “a pletely mocratic republic, ” touts the republic’s eedom of speech and happy cizens, and dismiss all claims of Chechnya’s gay purge as “nonsense. ” He also nonsensilly claims “We don’t have such people here, ” referrg to gay men Chechnya, while also claimg any gay men should be purged om the regn “to purify our blood.

JOURNALIST WHO REVEALED KILLG OF GAY MEN IN CHECHNYA BTALLY ATTACKED

The report has three other ma takeaways: (1) the cultural ndns that set the stage for Chechnya’s anti-gay purge; (2) how Chechen thori are fdg spected homosexuals, cludg roadsi stops, home raids and workplace viss; and (3) the torture methods ed Chechnya’s gay purge, cludg electrocutn, beatgs, starvatn, hydratn, isolatn, forced nudy and verbal abe. Khudoberdi Nurmatov, a 30-year-old openly gay journalist who helped unver Chechnya’s gay purge while workg for Novaya Gazeta, has his portatn to Uzbekistan temporarily halted by a Rsian urt. On Canada’s secret work to assist gay Chechen refuge, Rabow Railroad’s Executive Director Kimahli Powell says, “We need to be discreet about the program for as long as possible to mata their safety.

Hundreds of New Yorkers gather on the steps of the Stonewall Natnal Monument, the birthplace of the morn gay liberatn movement, for “Voic 4 Chechnya.

Maxim Lapunov, a 30-year-old who origally me to Chechnya om Siberia, puts a public face on Chechnya’s gay purge, tellg his story to Noyaya Gazeta and participatg a public prs nference. 8, attendg his sister’s weddg the Chechen pal of Grozny, Rsian pop sger Zelimkhan Bakaev is nfirmed to have been taed by Chechen officials for “spicn of homosexualy.