Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has denied claims that gay men are killed in his country, denying that any even exist there.

Rejecting allegations of human rights abuses, Mr Kadyrov said: "We don't have those kinds of people here".

Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported in April that more than 100 gay men had been locked up and tortured in the Russian republic.

Meanwhile, one man told Sky News how he was forced to flee Chechnya after police turned up at his home looking for him.

Image: Activists in Berlin calling on Putin to end the persecution of gay men in Chechnya

However, in a TV interview Mr Kadyrov dismissed the claims as "nonsense".


He said: "We don't have any gays. If there are any, take them to Canada".

The Chechen leader described those making the allegations as "devils", adding: "God damn them for what they are accusing us of".

It is not the first time Mr Kadyrov has made such claims.

When reports of violent persecution of gay men first surfaced a few months ago, the Chechen leader said his republic "does not have the phenomenon called non-traditional sexual orientation".

Image: The leader is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov

He added: "Its people have lived for thousands of years according to different rules laid down by Allah."

In April, UN human rights experts said gay and bisexual people in Chechnya were "living in a climate of fear fuelled by homophobic speeches by local authorities".

A month later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would support an investigation into "the well-known information, or rumours" about people "with a non-traditional sexual orientation".

Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel are among leaders who have expressed concern over the allegations.