A new “gay purge” is reportedly underway in Chechnya, as new stories emerge of the horrid and violence levied against LGBT+ people in the region.
Working as slaves, daily beatings and torture so horrid that it cannot be shared are some of the accusations levied against Chechyna‘s authorities as reports of a new “gay purge” circulate on social media.
Political scientist, Rémy Bonny says he has been in contact with two men who claim that Chechen authorities have started to detain and torture homosexuals again in 2018.
The previous purge in 2017 was widely reported. There were horrific details of gay men being detained, tortured and even killed, in the region after the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov has said that he wanted to eliminate gay men from the region by the start of Ramadan.
Up to a hundred men, suspected of being gay were held, against their wills, in what some media outlets called “concentration camps”.
Speaking with THEGAYUK.com Rémy Bonny said that he was in contact with two survivors who are now in the EU who he says provided “detailed and credible intelligence” about the many human rights violations against the LGBT+ community in Chechnya.
Tortured by his relative
The first witness, who has not been named, is now seeking refuge in Belgium, says that he was tortured by his relative, who works for the Chechen police and only escape after paying a huge amount of money.
He claims that he was left in his cold cell with just a t-shirt and jeans and fed only bread and water.
He was caught after been framed by friends speaking to Bonny the victim said, “There was a video in which I spoke in the apartment of a friend. I was framed by guys from my city that I have known almost all my life (this video was made in May of 2018). I didn’t even know that I was being shot. And they took me only in July .. in this video, I said that I don’t like this power and we do not have the freedom to choose .. but the topic was also ‘my friend’”.
Detained for 55 days
The second witness provided intel about his former boyfriend, who still lives in Chechnya. The boyfriend was detained, according to Bonny, but because there was no real evidence he was held as a suspected drug-user.
He was held at a facility in Grozny run by Adam Delimkhanov, who is a family member of Ramzan Kadyrov.
The victim says he was bullied on a daily basis and taken to work every morning in a van, without pay, “as slaves – for free”.
The victim was able to overhear guard’s conversations that other gay people were being held at the centre.
You can follow Rémy Bonny on Twitter and see more details on his website.
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