The Chechen Republic is run by a military dictator named Ramzan Kadyrov, who also happens to run a mixed martial arts program. As he’s begun pushing the promotion outside of Chechnya, one of the things that has come under scrutiny is the treatment of gay men in his republic. Many reports of targeted torture and murder of gay men have surfaced.
Kadyrov sat down with HBO Real Sports’ David Scott in his first Western TV interview in years. The interview airs July 18.
HBO's David Scott: “I wanted to ask you about the alleged roundup, abduction, and torture of gay men in the Republic. What, Mr. President, do you want to say about that?”
Ramzan Kadyrov: “Why did he [Scott] come here? What’s the point of these questions? This is nonsense. We don’t have those kinds of people here. We don’t have any gays. If there are any, take them to Canada. Praise be to God. Take them far from us so we don’t have them at home. To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them.”
HBO's David Scott: “But do you not get concerned when you read these accounts of young men who say they’ve been tortured for days? Does it concern you as a matter of law and order in the Republic when you hear these stories?”
Ramzan Kadyrov: “They are devils. They are for sale. They are not people. God damn them for what they are accusing us of. They will have to answer to the Almighty for this… America is conducting an anti-Russian policy against the country’s leadership. They know that I’m ready to give my life for Russia, and that I have a good army capable of attacking and defending. We’ll see how things go for everyone.”
HBO's David Scott: “Do you regard the United States as an enemy of your country?”
Ramzan Kadyrov: “America is not really a strong enough state for us to regard it as an enemy of Russia. We have a strong government and are a nuclear state. Even if our government was completely destroyed, our nuclear missiles would be automatically deployed. We will put the whole world on its knees and screw it from behind.”
You can watch the full interview with Kadyrov Tuesday, July 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
