"Kavkaz. Realii": Chechen gays put on wanted list as IS supporters

The police of Chechnya have put several homosexuals on the wanted list as persons suspected of involvement in the "Islamic State" (IS), recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia by court's decision. This has been reported today by the edition named "Kavkaz. Realii" with reference to the information from rights defenders.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in April, the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported about mass detentions and murders in Chechnya of men suspected of non-traditional sexual orientation and about a "secret prison" for gays in the city of Argun. As of June 19, rights defenders evacuated from Chechnya more than 50 gay men.

According to a member of a human rights organization engaged in evacuation of homosexuals, several gays from Chechnya were put on the wanted list by the local law enforcement agencies as supporters of the "Islamic State", recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia by court's decision. A member of a human rights organization has suggested that homosexuals are put on the wanted list in order to "block the evacuation of gays from Russia," the "Kavkaz. Realii" reports today.

According to the edition, a source from another human rights organization has reported that Chechen law enforcers "visit relatives of gays at home and demand from them to file statements that their children have left for Syria."

"According to the policy of the Chechen law enforcement agencies, it is easier for them to immediately state that a person was recruited and left for Syria. Most likely, it is designed to prevent people from leaving for anywhere," the "Kavkaz. Realii" quotes a source from a human rights organization as stating.

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