Chechen purge of gay men worsens

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April 23, 2017 | Sex & Society

Chechen purge of gay men worsens

Gay chechnya Britain’s deputy foreign secretary, Sir Alan Duncan, has claimed that the lives of gay men in Chechnya may be at even greater risk than originally believed.

Reports surfaced last week that the country was rounding up gay men, detaining them, and subjecting them to torture. Several men were killed. Further investigation revealed that actual concentration style camps were being created to hold these men.

Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic, denied the claims. He even argued that gays were not an issue in his Muslim-dominated country because no homosexuals even lived there. His ally, Vladimir Putin, has shown little interest in pursuing the issue any further.

Duncan, Britain's Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said things are about to get a lot worse.

“Human rights groups report that these anti-gay campaigns and killings are orchestrated by [Kadyrov]. He has carried out other violent campaigns in the past, and this time he is directing his efforts at the LGBT community," Duncan explained. “Sources have said that he wants the [LGBT] community eliminated by the start of Ramadan.”

The holy month of Ramadan begins late next month (May 26).

Earlier this week, CNN spoke to two men who managed to escape the "gay purge."

Fifty Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have also weighed in, joining the Congressional Equality Caucus in writing a letter to Secretary Tillerson urging him to speak out publicly and pressure the Russians to investigate and intervene. He has yet to do so.

And the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, recently condemned the persecution in Chechnya, but has been the only person associated with the Trump administration to do so

President Trump, known for his endless tirades on Twitter slamming everything from The "failing" New York Times to the "cruel" Saturday Night Live, has said absolutely nothing about what is happening to innocent men in Chechnya.