Kadyrov accuses human defenders of inflating rumours about gays in Chechnya

In his interview to a US TV Channel, Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that the information about the persecution of homosexuals in Chechnya is being disseminated by human rights organizations which are counting on making money on that.

The full interview with the leader of Chechnya was shown by the HBO TV Channel on Tuesday, July 18.

In his interview, the leader of Chechnya accused of corruption the human rights activists engaged in dissemination of the information about the persecution of gay men in the republic.

"These are our mean corrupted human rights defenders, who always deceive, so to speak, the US authorities and earn a penny for that," said Ramzan Kadyrov as quoted by the TASS.

According to a journalist of the HBO TV Channel, in a conversation with him, Ramzan Kadyrov has admitted that homosexuals in Chechnya can be punished by their relatives. "Even if [relatives] punished them under the law, we agree to that," Ramzan Kadyrov said.

According to him, Chechnya is an "absolutely democratic republic", there is "freedom of speech" in the region, and "people live happily."

The US Department of State has expressed its "great concern" over the comments voiced by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov about people of non-traditional sexual orientation. This was announced by Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the US Department of State, on July 18.

"Of course, we are aware of the comments that have been made. The comments of the Chechen leader cause great concern," said Heather Nauert during a briefing. She has also added that she considers the statements voiced by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov about gays to be terrible.

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