New Reports of Gay Sger Abducted and Murred Chechnya | HuffPost Contributor

Contents:

• NEW REPORTS OF GAY SGER ABDUCTED AND MURRED CHECHNYA
• A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY SGER "TORTURED TO DEATH" BY CHECHEN AUTHORI, ACRDG TO UNNFIRMED REPORT
• 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
• GAY-BASHG ‘PUT’S SOLDIER’ WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE YOUNG POLYGAMO BRIS

NEW REPORTS OF GAY SGER ABDUCTED AND MURRED CHECHNYA

This week, Maxim Lapunov beme the first gay man to e forward to tail his experienc of abe and torture at the hands of Chechen thori what have bee known as Chechnya’s ‘gay ncentratn mps’. Lapunov said, "When I would fall, they would give me a break and then force me to stand up and ntue for several more rounds, " addg, "Day after day, they were tellg me how precisely they want to kill me, " Lapunov was released after signg a statement clarg that he would never speak of his experienc, unr threats that he would be hunted down and killed if he were to do of Chechnya’s anti-gay pogroms broke April 2017, tailg that at least 100 gay men had been arrted and three killed the Rsian regn.

In an effort to obta the nam of more gay men, the officials had nfisted his phone and then targeted his ntacts. Throughout April and May 2017, other reports further revealed that gay men Chechnya were beg murred at the hands of their own fay members, what was scribed as state-enuraged honor an anonymo terview nducted wh France24, one survivor said, “They tell the parents to kill their child. We don’t have any gays.

A reprentative for the newspaper said, “Wh regards to the sexual orientatn of those killed, as far as we know there are homosexual people this list, but not all of them at all. ”The webse Pknews reported that two mps based the villag of Argun and Tsotsi-Yurt were ially intified, but further vtigatns revealed a further four jails for gay early Augt, iends and fay of popular Chechen sger, Zelim Bakaev, 26, had spoken of his disappearance durg the sger’s vis home to the Chechen pal of Grozny to attend his sister’s weddg.

A 26-YEAR-OLD GAY SGER "TORTURED TO DEATH" BY CHECHEN AUTHORI, ACRDG TO UNNFIRMED REPORT

There were other facets of the vio that had appeared to suggt that the footage had been taken Chechnya, notably the furnure the room were manufactured by var Rsian pani that shipped their products to Chechnya wh low likelihood that they would end up elsewhere Europe, as well as the appearance of the Drive Me brand of Rsian energy drk on the table that is not sold week Igor Kocketkov of the Rsian LGBT Network ma a statement about Bakaev’s disappearance, sayg, “At the end of Augt, we received nfirmatn of our earlier prumptn that Bakaev was taed by Chechen thori due to spicn of homosexualy.

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

” As of yet, other than timatns garnered om the guard ttimoni of survivors and targets, there are no firm statistics available on the number of men beg held as a rult of Chechen anti-gay pogroms or an accurate figure of how many murrs have rulted om the ntued existence of the adly torture mps. Zelimkhan Bakaev was "reportedly arrted as part of Chechnya’s anti-gay crackdown" and "murred shortly after beg taed, " acrdg to a source who talked to NewNowNext. Chechnya has said that gay people do not exist.

When reports began surfacg last sprg that Chechnya had set up ncentratn mps for gay people, a state official lled the reports "absolute li and disrmatn, " explag: "You nnot arrt or reprs people who jt don’t exist the republic. An official Kadyrov's regime said about gay people recently: "In our Chechen society, any person who rpects our tradns and culture will hunt down this kd of person whout any help om thori, and do everythg to make sure that this kd of person do not exist our society.

As Huffgton Post has reported: "Chechnya is a hotbed of Islamic honor killgs, ually of young women, but of gay men as well.

GAY-BASHG ‘PUT’S SOLDIER’ WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE YOUNG POLYGAMO BRIS

When gay Chechens who’ve somehow remaed alive get out of jail, they are often taken by their male relativ to remote plac to be killed and buried.