"You cannot oppress the one who is not"

Chechnya comment on the publication of gay persecution in the region

On April 1, New Gazeta reported that in Chechnya, mass raids on people who are suspected of homosexuality have recently been taking place in Chechnya. The newspaper, citing sources in law enforcement agencies, claims that three people were killed, and more than a hundred people were detained. After that, other publications asked representatives of regional authorities and social activists to comment on the publication; As it turned out, in Chechnya, officials do not hide a negative attitude to homosexuals.

Alvi Karimov, press secretary of the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov

The publication that has appeared is an absolute lie. You can’t detain and oppress the one who simply is not in the republic. [The article “Novaya Gazeta” is an attempt to denigrate the Chechen Republic. I responsibly declare that this newspaper material is a lie and misinformation.

If there were such people in Chechnya, the law enforcement agencies would not have any concerns with them, since relatives themselves would send them to the address where they would not return. <...>

[About the sources of Novaya Gazeta.] If in the law enforcement agencies of the republic-the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prosecutor’s office and so on-there are people who whisper something, afraid to name themselves, they are not men, but an empty place.

Source: Interfax

Heda Saratov, member of the Human Rights Council under the head of Chechnya

I can’t draw the border, but I can only say that even the extreme measure in relation to such people in which we live will not condemn. I think that even if such a person is killed by his own relatives, they will do anything, so as not to disclose it.

And the entire judicial system, and the same bodies will also react with understanding of what happened in this family. They will not be hungry and protect this person. I did not receive a single statement, but I would not even consider it.

I am Chechen, I live in this society, and what you say is even worse than war. If we close our eyes today, I am sure that our society will decompose, and this cannot be allowed in any case.

I assure you, in our Chechen society, a person who respects himself, traditions and customs, he himself will be without any structures to pursue and do everything so that there are no such people in our society. This is evil with which every Chechen will fight.

Source: "Says Moscow"

Rustam Tapaev, Chairman of the Chechen Youth Union

In this situation, I absolutely do not trust the information that was published in Novaya Gazeta. We have a fairly traditional and religious society in the Chechen Republic, and in general in the Caucasus. Therefore, this phenomenon generally relate clearly on the one hand, on the other hand, I have never heard of oppression and persecution.

But we are supporters of traditional family values, so we promote family values ​​and believe that the propaganda of other moods is harmful. Both in Chechnya and in Russia.

Source: "Says Moscow"

Magomed Deniev, head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya

Maybe this is an Aprilian joke? We did not give such information to Novaya Gazeta.

Source: RBC