Actor and activist Alan Cumming has spoken out against reports of concentration camps for gay men in Chechnya.
The reports were printed in Russian media earlier this month, suggesting the existence of detention centres where gay men are being tortured and murdered.
Cumming posted a video on Instagram addressing the leader of the Chechen region, Ramzan Kadyrov, warning that “the world is watching.”
“We know that gay men in your country are being rounded up and tortured, electrocuted, just persecuted in the most horrible way,” Cumming says in the clip.
“You’re denying it. Your spokesman is saying that can’t be happening in your country because there are no gay people in your country. I’ve got something to say to you: There are.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also denied the reports, with a spokesperson telling journalists they did not have any reliable information about any problems in the Chechen region.
World politicians have come out to condemn reports, including officials from the UK and USA.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has also spoken out against the reports, saying Australia has “raised our concerns directly with the Russian government.”
Watch Cumming’s video for Chechnya’s leader below.
