"Novaya Gazeta" reports homosexual Chechen kidnapped in Saint Petersburg

A kidnapping attempt was undertaken in Saint Petersburg of a resident of Chechnya, who fled the republic after being persecuted on suspicion of homosexuality. Policemen detained the kidnappers and the Chechen they wanted to kidnap, the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper reports.

The 20-year-old native of a Chechen village was captured on Friday, when he went out to dispose garbage from his home. His father, a major Chechen businessman, was among the kidnappers.

After the kidnapping, the young man managed to send an SMS-message "Help me" to a member of the LGBT network. Human rights defenders filed a kidnapping application to the police.

According to the newspaper, the father of the kidnapped young man arrived in Petersburg about a week ago and shadowed down his son.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya has stated that there are no gays in Chechnya; however, the kidnapping attempt in Petersburg refutes this statement, Igor Kochetkov, head of the Russian LGBT network, said.

The kidnapped guy turned to rights defenders after repeated detentions in Chechnya. Law enforcers used to beat him up and extorted money; then, they informed the guy's relatives that he was considered to be a gay. According to the young man, his family members forced his brother to commit an "honour killing".

He fled from Chechnya and hid in the flat of his friend in Moscow. In April, there was an attempt to kidnap him. After that, the LGBT network provided him with a "residence-shelter" in Saint Petersburg.