NPR

'They Told Me I Wasn't A Human Being': Gay Men Speak Of Brutal Treatment In Chechnya

Two gay men tell NPR they were kidnapped, beaten and interrogated in Chechnya before they were able to find refuge in Moscow. Human Rights Watch warns that Chechnya is conducting an "anti-gay purge."
Two gay men, who do not want to be identified for safety reasons, left Chechnya after being kidnapped and beaten there. Gregory (left) says he was held for 12 days in a basement. Arnie (right) says he was disowned by his relatives after he was delivered back to his family unconscious, in a burlap bag. They spoke with NPR at a safe house in Moscow.

At an unmarked apartment building in Moscow, there's a notice taped to a large metal door with a list of tenants who haven't paid their rent. Up five flights of stairs, on the top floor, two young men sit side by side on an old couch in a one-bedroom apartment.

They're calling themselves Gregory and Arnie. They don't want to use their real names because they fear for their lives. Both men recently left

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