Chechen Leader on Torture Claims: Gays Are ‘Not People’

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, has responded to allegations Chechen authorities tortured and abused gay men by lashing out at homosexuals in a bizarre tirade. In an excerpt from an interview with HBO due to air Tuesday, the strongman leader calls the torture accusations “nonsense.” “We don't have those kinds of people here. We don't have any gays. And if there are some, please take them to Canada,” he said. “They are devils. They are for sale. They are not people. God damn them for what they are accusing us of.” He went on to complain that Washington is “conducting a policy against Russia,” hinting that he’d be ready to defend Moscow. “They know that I'm ready to give my life for Russia and that I have a good army capable of attacking and defending,” he said. “We’ll see how things go for everyone.”