Chechnya Holds First Concentration Camps Since The Nazis

The Chechen Republic has opened several concentration camps targeting suspected-gay citizens…
 
The Chechen Republic has increased its homophobic sentiment by creating the first concentration camps on European soil since Hitler’s regime in the 1930’s and 40’s.
 
The Russian federal subject- commonly known as Chechnya- has been reported to detain homosexual men and employ various methods of torture such as shock treatment and violent beatings. Several publications, including BBC, The Week and the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, have documented that 100 gay men had been arrested and sent to these camps, with three individuals reportedly being killed.
 
Novaya Gazeta, well-known for their investigative work on Russian politics, reports that several local television stars and religious officials have been arrested and many of the detainees are being forced to leave Chechnya. The publication also spoke with an escaped prisoner, who claims many of the prisoners are beaten ruthlessly to expose other members of the gay community.
 
The Republic’s President, Ramzan Kadyrov, has allegedly ordered the creation of these concentration camps. The Chechen leader has been called anti-gay due to previous statements and actions, including his July 2017 statement with HBO:
 
“If there are any gays…Take them away from us. To purify our blood, if there are any, take them.”
 
Kadyrov has repeatedly denied any involvement in persecution of the gay community in the Caucasus state, and claims the reports to be mere fabrication of human rights activists in attempts to obtain money. He also attributes the various murders of gay Chechen citizens to ‘honour killings’ by family members.
 
Chechen singer, Zelimkhan Bakayev, who has been missing since August 2017, is being used by Kadyrov as an example; hinting that the supposedly-gay performer was killed by relatives. Bakayev’s father, Khussein, has openly denied any family member being responsible for his sons’ disappearance, and has even stated to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
 
“None of his relatives laid a finger on him, and there was no reason to lay a finger on him.”
 
Chechnya has come under international watch since reports from February 2017 indicated the mass purge of LGBT community members were being persecuted. Journalists reporting on the situation have also been put at risk, with several of which fleeing the region in fear of their lives.
 
Despite being a state in the Russian Federation, Chechnya operates as an autonomous region. While the northern Caucasus region and Russia have had a turbulent relationship in the past, Kadyrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed a strong admiration for one another, with the Chechen leader frequently praising Putin’s government.