Dmitry Peskov
Information about the persecution of gays in the Chechen Republic is not confirmed. On Thursday, April 20, said press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov, reports the correspondent of”.ru”.
As noted by Peskov, the Kremlin has no reason not to believe the words of the head of the Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, who, according to the official, during a working meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin called slander information about the persecution of representatives of nonconventional sexual orientation.
“Yesterday’s conversation with the President, the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov again said that, in the opinion of management of the Republic, these reports are a distortion of reality, is slander. He also said that, of course, public opinion in the Republic to that libel applies irreconcilable, does not accept this slander. And that, of course, are fighting and will fight with defamation in accordance with the law,” — said the spokesman.
According to Peskov, Kadyrov also has assured the President that “it is groundless to say that someone can threaten journalists who write about it”.
Earlier, on 20 April, the Commissioner for human rights in Russia Tatiana Moskalkova doubted the veracity of the statements of “Novaya Gazeta” about the alleged repression against homosexuals in Chechnya. In her opinion, these reports could be a provocation.
The article “Novaya Gazeta” about the persecution of Chechen residents suspected of homosexuality, was released on 1 April. According to journalists, they are placed in a special prison, where he was tortured and forced to reveal the names of other gays. 13 April, the newspaper wrote about the threats to their employees. The next day the situation said in the Kremlin, saying that there are against any “methods of influence, which would be contrary to the law.”