{"id":52893,"date":"2017-05-06T14:20:37","date_gmt":"2017-05-06T18:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/putin-supports-request-to-investigate-torture-of-gay-men-in-chechnya\/"},"modified":"2017-05-06T14:20:37","modified_gmt":"2017-05-06T18:20:37","slug":"putin-supports-request-to-investigate-torture-of-gay-men-in-chechnya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/putin-supports-request-to-investigate-torture-of-gay-men-in-chechnya\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin Supports Request to Investigate Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya"},"content":{"rendered":"

Putin Supports Request to Investigate Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya<\/b><\/p>\n

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday appeared to support\u00a0a request by Russia\u2019s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova to form an investigative team to look into \u201cthe well-known information, or rumors\u201d of torture against men<\/a>\u00a0\u201cwith a non-traditional sexual orientation\u201d in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, the AP<\/a>\u00a0reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Putin\u2019s support comes in the wake of reports\u00a0that parents are being told<\/a> to kill their gay<\/a> sons before kidnappers and jailers do first and that Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov plans to rid\u00a0the republic <\/a>of gay<\/a> men<\/a> by the end of May.<\/p>\n

The international community has rallied around gay<\/a> men<\/a> in Chechnya, with\u00a0German chancellor Angela Merkel<\/a>, Senator Marco Rubio<\/a>, former Vice President Joe Biden<\/a> and U.N. human rights experts<\/a>\u00a0all expressing outrage at the allegations that gay<\/a> men<\/a> are being rounded up, tortured and even killed.<\/p>\n

Criticism of the allegations comes from Russia\u2019s own people as well. On Monday, Russian police broke up <\/a>a demonstration, held during a May Day march in St Petersburg, by LGBT activists against the abuses. Roughly 10 to 20 protesters were arrested,\u00a0according to reports.<\/p>\n

Visibly annoyed Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova last week also\u00a0shut down <\/a>questions by Katie Couric at Yahoo News regarding the allegations.<\/p>\n

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Katie Couric asked a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman about the torture and killing of gay<\/a> men<\/a> in Chechnya.<\/p>\n

Her response is telling. pic.twitter.com\/WOpZNCeDjJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Raymond Braun (@raymondbraun) April 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Word of the\u00a0abuses started swirling in April<\/a> after independent weekly Novaya Gazeta <\/em>reported\u00a0<\/em>claims that Chechen police had\u00a0rounded up at least 100 gay<\/a> men<\/a> and killed at least three of them. Elena Milashina, the Russian journalist who broke the story, has now gone into hiding<\/a> after receiving death threats.<\/p>\n

The post Putin Supports Request to Investigate Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Putin Supports Request to Investigate Torture Of Gay Men In Chechnya<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n