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Russian ombudsperson says no complaints received from LGBT people in Chechnya

In May, top diplomats from five EU member states forwarded a letter to Sergey Lavrov, stressing that media reports about the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya raised great concern in Europe

KAZAN, June 30. /TASS/. No complaints have been received over violations of LGBT people’s rights in Chechnya, said Russian Human Rights Ombudsperson Tatyana Moskalkova, who is currently on a working visit to the city of Kazan.

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"I have made a report for the president and I also stated publicly that I will ensure the confidentiality of anyone who will come to me for help saying they had been subjected to violence or abused in any other way," she said adding that she was also ready to connect the victims with law enforcement agencies and ensure state protection. "However, as of today, I haven’t received a single one complaint," Moskalkova pointed out when asked to comment on the probe into the alleged persecution of LGBT people in the Republic of Chechnya.

"In the coming days, I expect a response from the Russian Investigative Committee concerning the outcome of the probe," the Russian human rights ombudsperson added.

Moskalkova said earlier that she intended to initiate a probe into the information spread by the Novaya Gazeta daily.

In early May, top diplomats from five EU member states forwarded a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, stressing that media reports about the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya had raised great concern in the European capitals.

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, in turn, said that regional authorities were ready to cooperate with federal agencies in order to look into media reports about the situation with sexual minorities in the region. However, no official reports on their persecution have been received yet.

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