The situation in Chechnya, dubbed by many as an "anti-gay purge," continues to take grimmer and darker turns. Not only was it emphasized by the reporter who broke the story of gay men being taken, brutalized, and murdered, that these things are still happening. But now sources say that the Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov, wants the area's gay community gone by Ramadan.
Related | Journalist Who Exposed Chechnya's Anti-Gay Horrors Flees Russia, Says Abuse Continues
According to Pink News, Sir Alan Duncan, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, told the British parliament, "Human rights groups report that these anti-gay campaigns and killings are orchestrated by the head of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov [...] He has carried out other violent campaigns in the past, and this time he is directing his efforts at the LGBT community [...] Sources have said that he wants the [LGBT] community eliminated by the start of Ramadan."
Adding that "such comments, attitudes and actions are absolutely beyond contemptible," it's reported that Duncan and the Foreign Office had seen a threat made by Kadyrov in local Russian language media.
According to Elena Milashina, the writer who broke the story of the Chechen government's attacks on the LGBTQ community, a Russian investigation is scheduled to begin as early as tomorrow into the incidents.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts on May 26 this year and is widely celebrated in Chechnya.
