The Moscow Times reports. Police there detained 20 of their relatives for two hours Tuesday in an attempt to locate the men’s parents, who have fled the area, according to the Times.Chechnya is part of Russia but has the status of a semi-autonomous republic.
Under the dictatorial rule of Russian-approved President Ramzan Kadyrov since 2007, Chechnya has seen persecution of many groups.
Reports emerged in 2017 that LGBTQ+ people, mostly gay and bisexual men, were being jailed and tortured, and some even killed, by police and other government authorities.