In Chechnya, religious figures condemn publications about persecution of gays

On April 3, the Grozny mosque "Heart of Chechnya" hosted a meeting of Imams who called a lie the information about persecution of homosexuals in Chechnya. The same was also announced by the statement of the Human Rights Council (HRC) under the leader of Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 1, the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported about mass detentions in Chechnya of men suspected of homosexuality. According to the newspaper, some of the detainees were killed. According to Elena Milashina, the author of the article, the detentions began after activists of the "GayRussia" voiced the plans to hold gay parades in several cities of the Caucasus.

Theologians, including Adam Shakhidov, the adviser to the leader of the Chechen Republic, severely criticized the publication in the "Novaya Gazeta" and called it a slander.

According to members of the HRC under the leader of Chechnya, such information is "a part of a massive provocation to destabilize the North-Caucasian republics."

However, on April 3, in Chechnya, WhatsApp users disseminated the information stating that a well-known theologian was killed during the raids on detection of homosexuals.

According to local residents, reports of reprisals against people of unconventional sexual orientation also came last year. Meanwhile, such topics were never openly discussed in Chechnya.

Earlier, Vladimir Klimov, an LGBT activist, has stated that the movement "GayRussia" did not receive any complaints from residents of Chechnya about the persecution for their sexual orientation.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.