Russia Finally Investigating ‘Gay Purge’ in Chechnya

Russian officials have reportedly taken up the cause of investigating allegations that Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been leading a “gay purge” in the restive southern republic. International outcry has persisted for months over reports that dozens of men have been detained and tortured as part of the Kremlin-backed leader’s anti-gay campaign. Kadyrov has denied the allegations by suggesting no homosexual men exist in Chechnya in the first place. According to The Guardian, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin had been briefed on the issue by Russia’s human-rights ombudsman, Tatyana Moskalkova, and there was evidence the Russian investigators were attempting to get to the bottom of the allegations.”