Europe

Kremlin: no confirmed info on claimed Chechen gay killings

Associated Press
Published | Updated

People protest outside the Russian Embassy in London, following reports of the torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya, Wednesday April 12, 2017. The United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights called upon the Russian government in a statement “to put an end to the persecution of people perceived to be gay or bisexual, while Chechen authorities denied the reports, and spokesman for leader Ramzan Kadyrov insisted there were no gay people in Chechnya. (Thomas Hornall/PA via AP) (The Associated Press)

A man poses outside the Russian Embassy in London, following reports of alleged torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya, Wednesday April 12, 2017. In a statement the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Russian government “to put an end to the persecution of people perceived to be gay or bisexual", while Chechen authorities denied the reports, and spokesman for leader Ramzan Kadyrov insisted there were no gay people in Chechnya. (Thomas Hornall/PA via AP) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 file photo, Dmitry Muratov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta, speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia. Novaya Gazeta said in a statement on Friday April 14, 2017, that it fears for the safety of its journalists after exposing the persecution of gay men in Chechnya, a Muslim-majority republic of Russia. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File) (The Associated Press)

In the face of growing international concern about reported detentions and killings of homosexuals in Chechnya, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says the Kremlin does not have confirmed information about the matter.

The respected Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported this month that police in the predominantly Muslim republic rounded up more than 100 men suspected of homosexuality and that at least three of them have been killed.

Chechen authorities have denied the reports. But the United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights and prominent international organizations have urged the Russian government to investigate the reported abuse.

"We do not have any reliable information about any problems in this area" in the Chechen Republic, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday.