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Chechen President Denies Existence of Gay Men Again, Calls Them Devils
Chechen President Denies Existence of Gay Men Again, Calls Them Devils
“They are for sale. They are not people.”
July 14 2017 5:33 PM EST
March 08 2019 2:49 AM EST
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Chechen President Denies Existence of Gay Men Again, Calls Them Devils
“They are for sale. They are not people.”
In a chilling update on the multiple reports that say a government-run purge of gay men is being carried out in Chechnya, there is now a video interview of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov vehemently denying the existence of any gay men in his region and attacking them with religious vitriol.
Related | Chechnya Has Reportedly Resumed Its Gay Purge
HBO Real Sports host David Scott was in Chechnya reporting on its Mixed Martial Arts program, which serves as a training ground for part of the military. Once in an interview with Kadyrov, Scott didn't avoid the hard questions that most of the world is asking.
"We don't have those kinds of people here," Kadyrov told Scott when asked about the purge. "We don't have any gays. If there are any take them to Canada. Praise be to God. Take them far from us so we don't have them at home." Then, eerily mirroring language that has come out in reports from Chechnya, he said that taking them would "purify" the blood of Chechnya.
Related | Sec. of State Rex Tillerson Didn't Bring Up Chechnya's Gay Purge in Meetings with Russia
When Scott pressed about the affect a global eye is having on the region's law and order, Kadyrov got defensive. "They are devils. They are for sale. They are not people," he said. "God damn them for what they are accusing us of. They will have to answer to the Almighty for this." Watch the segment, below.
\u201c2. Kadyrov says if there are any gay people in Chechnya they should be removed in order to purify the blood of the Chechen people.\u201d— Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 \u06cc\u0627\u0634\u0627\u0631 (@Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 \u06cc\u0627\u0634\u0627\u0631) 1500046918