Story highlights Chechen government spokesman calls allegations of a crackdown "an absolute lie"

Gay activists say the situation in Chechnya has become much worse recently

Moscow (CNN) Amid reports of a brutal crackdown on gay men in the Russian republic of Chechnya, a number of witnesses and victims are now bolstering allegations of mass arrests and torture.

Speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, one man who recently fled Chechnya after being arrested said hundreds of gay men like him are being rounded up by the authorities and held in appalling conditions in least three detention centers.

"My car got stopped at a Chechen police checkpoint and they asked me for my documents," said the man, who asked to be identified as "Ahmed."

"They looked at them and said: 'We are taking you.'"

Gay activists say sexual minorities have for years been targeted in conservative Chechnya.

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