Angela Merkel invited to inspect Chechnya’s gay concentration camps
I read today that Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, using social media, invited Angela Merkel and President Macron of France to visit Chechnya “in a search for the truth” to inspect for themselves that there were no “Gay Concentration Camps” in Chechnya. Kadyrov stated that Merkel and Macron were relying on “false information”.
Kadyrov has been holding gay men in these camps for over 2 months and at least 26 men have been reported dead by escapees. I am sure that Kadyrov has already moved these gay men to a new hidden location. Any of us would come to this conclusion and he was most likely given the order to do this by Vladimir Putin.
Reporters questioned President Macron about this issue on Monday after his meeting with Putin. He guaranteed reporters that he had questioned Putin on this human rights crisis.
I hope the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, who originally reported this story, has current information on where these men are now being held or can relay escapee contact information to Merkel and Macron so they can interview victims personally.
Hopefully Germany and France’s intelligence agencies have new details that Putin and Kadyrov don’t know about. My hope is Merkel and Macron will take Kadyrov up on his offer, go to Chechnya, and expose Kadyrov for this brutality and these human rights crimes that have been allowed to continue for way too long.
Kevin Orr is a political activist based in Austin, Texas. He’s known as @KevinDarryl on Twitter.