MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the Russian Novaya Gazeta reported, citing LGBT activists, as well as confirmations by sources in the Chechen Interior Ministry, the republican head administration, the local security service and the local prosecutor's office, that over 100 men suspected of having unconventional sexuality had been detained in Chechnya.
"The Kremlin knows about this but I think this is more of an issue for the security services to deal with, not the Kremlin… The publication exists and the Interior Ministry will, of course, be on this," Peskov told reporters.
The Presidential administration is unaware of whether the reports are accurate, he added.
"I am not an expert in the area of non-traditional sexual orientation and I cannot duly answer your question," Peskov said when responding on the meaning of Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov's press chief's comments that no LGBT community exists in the region.
Press chief Alvi Karimov had called the Novaya Gazeta publication "a lie" and said that it was impossible to persecute those "who do not exist in the republic."
Peskov added that anyone whose rights were violated by members of the security services should sue those responsible.
