‘No Victims of Persecution, Threats or Violence’ Russian AttachÃ© Claims

The Putin government has concluded its investigation into allegations of illegal detention, torture, and killings of gay men in the Russian Caucus Republic of Chechnya, according toÂ the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Israel. Israeli newspaper Haartez published the letter last week.

Those allegations were first reported in a series of stories published last month by journalist Elena Milashina, in Russia’s leading opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. Chechen PresidentÂ Ramzan KadyrovÂ (photo, with Vladimir Putin)Â has denied the reports, while allegedly calling for the elimination of gay men before Ramadan.

In the letter, the embassyâ€™s press attachÃ© Dmitry Alushkin wrote: “Authorized official government bodies of the Russian Federation, in cooperation with the government of the Chechen Republic, investigated the claims made by journalist Elena Milashina in her articles published in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and in other Russian media outlets.”

“There are no victims of persecution, threats or violence” Alushkin added.Â “Neither law enforcement authorities or the Human Rights Council of the president of the Chechen Republic have received complaints on this matter. The Human Rights Council conducted an inquiry of its own and did not find even indirect evidence of such accusations.”

A spokesperson for the Washington, D.C. office of a leading human rights organizationÂ has called into question Alushkinâ€™s statements.

â€œThis so-called investigation is clearly a sham. The Russian government claims that there is no evidence of abuses in Chechnya. Try telling that to the gay and bisexual men fleeing the republic and seeking asylum elsewhere. Try telling that to those who mourn the three men murdered during this crisis,â€ said Human Rights Firstâ€™s Shawn Gaylord. â€œIf the authorities wonâ€™t take this matter seriously, then the international community must; we must demand the release of these men and accountability for those that perpetrated these terrible crimes.â€ Â

Gaylord told NCRM Monday that last week U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) had called on the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to explore â€œpossible avenues for urgently admitting these persecuted LGBT individuals to the United States, preferably via humanitarian parole or expedited refugee processing.â€

Throughout the ongoing crisis, Russian LGBTQI activists have been detained while advocating for a through investigation. Five activists were arrested in Moscow last Thursday for attempting to submit a petition calling for action.

When contacted by NCRM Monday, Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, had no comment.

Brody LevesqueÂ is the Chief Political Correspondent forÂ The New Civil Rights Movement.

You may contact Brody atÂ [email protected]

RELATED STORIES:

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Journalist Who Broke Chechnyaâ€™s â€˜Gay Concentration Campâ€™ Story To Flee Russia Following Threats

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Image via the Kremlin