Interview of runaway gay sparks disputes

The interview of the Dagestani gay, who escaped from Russian special services who tried to recruit him for sending to Syria, has aroused controversy among Dagestani journalists: on the one hand, the story is well in line with the practice of sex blackmail in Northern Caucasus, on the other hand, it fails to meet local traditions and beliefs.

On June 5, the "Caucasian Knot" posted an interview with a young Salafi, who stated that he had fallen victim to Dagestan law enforcers' blackmail.

Svetlana Anokhina, the chief editor of the DAPTAR portal, believes that the story of the Dagestani gay is worth trust.

"I find nothing surprising in the fact that a believer was also a homosexual. Some people are homosexual from birth; and it is not strange that one of them became religious, "Svetlana Anokhina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Magomed Magomedov, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Dagestan weekly "Chernovik", does not agree with this opinion.

"In Dagestan, people become, not born, Salafis. Non-traditional Islam is a system of beliefs, where a person, in a sense, renounces his past, and the forbidden," said Magomedov.

He also drew attention to the description of atypical, in his opinion, behaviour of special agents. The interview claims that the young man was invited into the car, brought to a hotel, and blackmailed there with provocative video materials in order to persuade him to work for special services in Syria.

"They would have rather thrown him into the trunk, a black bag over his head, not inviting him into the car. They would bring him not to hotel, but to a local ROVD (District Interior Division), where they would have beaten up and stifle the guy, as they well can do it," he said.

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