A LAWSUIT OVER GAY-BASHING WAS FILED AGAINST ENTOURAGE OF RAMZAN KADYROV

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and the Russian LGBT Network filed a lawsuit in one of the courts of Germany. Five people from the entourage of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, are declared defendants - they are accused of persecuting persons with a nonstandard sexual orientation.

The Guardian reports that the complainants accuse the defendants of arresting, torturing and killing at least 150 gay men because of their orientation. Among them there are ex-head of police of the city of Argun Ayub Kataev, deputy chairman of the government of the republic Abuzaid Vismuradov and chairman of the Chechen parliament Magomed Daudov.

Activists have already tried to raise the case by applying to the International Criminal Court, but the Russian Federation is no longer under its jurisdiction.

Now human rights defenders have turned to German justice, as it allows perpetrators of human rights violations to be brought to justice, no matter where it happened.

Earlier, Novaya Gazeta newspaper published investigations of massacres in Chechnya. The victims were allegedly gays - they were kept in basements, and then killed with shots in the head or by asphyxiation. The Kremlin commented on the information, stating that articles in the media cannot be considered as evidence.