At the beginning of April 2017, the entire world became aware of the massacres and detentions of gays in the Chechen Republic, thanks to the investigation of the news outlet, "Novaya Gazeta." The international community has repeatedly called on the Russian Federation and President Putin himself not only to stop the detention of those alleged to be gay but to also start a federal inquiry into what happened to the men who were detained, tortured, and murdered. The situation in Chechnya has passed all the reasonable limits.
On June 10, “Novaya Gazeta” published an incomplete list of men that were murdered in Chechnya. The list contains 27 names, as well as residence addresses. According to some sources, more than 50 people are presumed to have been killed. “Novaya Gazeta” makes no claim that these men were killed because they were accused of being gay, but it goes to show the level of violence in Chechnya and the impunity that allows the perpetrators to go unpunished.
Though the list of names and testimonies that “Novaya Gazeta” managed to obtain in its investigation was transferred to the Investigation Committee of Russia and Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova, so far there have not been any adequate reaction from Russian government.
Moskalkova has recently received an interim response from the Investigation Committee of Russia, which says that the facts stated in “Novaya Gazeta’s” request were unconfirmed. It was claimed that “only names [were] given” in the report, and “additional data on date of birth, burial place, relatives and former place of residence” would be needed to confirm the names. Though “Novaya Gazeta” argues all the necessary information was included in the original report that was transferred, Moskalkova has stated that she will wait for the final verification of all the facts, taking into account the names that “Novaya Gazeta” issued to her.
It was clear from the beginning that law enforcement would try to cover up the fact that men were being detained, tortured, and murdered, and at this stage of the "investigation" it is becoming more apparent that authorities will try to prolong the investigation as long as possible or simply close the case.
Already, National Policy and External Relations Minister of Chechnya Jambulat Umarov called “Novaya Gazeta’s” report “false,” and “the next portion of misinformation which is directed against the Chechen Republic.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, while claiming to have taken the newspaper’s information “into consideration,” also “took into consideration denials of this information which were made by law-enforcement bodies of the Chechen republic,” and determined the “information has rather anonymous character, information sources are unclear.”
The persecution of gays in Chechnya and the horrific murders that have been confirmed by the Russian LGBT Network and Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, remain unheeded by authorities and law enforcement agencies. The evidence of gay men detentions has been ignored for several months already. This behavior is characteristic of a dictatorial system, where the leader's decision is seldom criticized. The Russian Federation, through its president Vladimir Putin, once again proved that human rights for them are at the very bottom of their priorities and are ensured only for chosen people.
There is no doubt that the Head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, was aware that these acts of violence were being carried out, as he considers himself the "master" of the republic.
Additionally, the official representatives of the Chechen authorities openly say that “[they] do not have ‘such’ [gay] people in the country, and this would be a shame for the families and the entire Chechen people.” Ramzan Kadyrov himself, in an interview to RBK, called the LGBT-representatives "mentally abnormal, and Chechen people do not accept this." This also highlights the discrimination, physical violence, and persecution of gays in the Chechen Republic.
This lack of response from Russian authorities and refusal to even acknowledge the presence of LGBT people in the country is the perfect example of selective justice in Russia and the impudent hypocrisy of Russian law enforcement agencies and Ramzan Kadyrov. “Novaya Gazeta” chose to publicize the names and addresses of the alleged victims out of frustration with the repeated injustices committed against LGBT people and permitted by the Russian law enforcement:
“Since we have no more confidence that the new investigator carrying out the inspection will want to communicate with journalists of ‘Novaya Gazeta,’ we decided to publish everything that we know of circumstances of those people’s disappearance.”
Recently, the Russian LGBT Network reported that arrests of gay and bisexual men had restarted in the region. With the release of the allegedly lethal consequences of the last round of arrests, it is especially urgent that action be taken to ensure the freedom and safety of the new victims.