US sanctions Chechen leader Kadyrov for human rights abuses

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announced visa restrictions on the head of the Chechen Republic and his family, citing gross human rights abuses that are getting worse amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The restrictions will bar entry to the U.S. for Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation and a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who garnered international outrage over allegations of torture and abuse, in particular against Chechnya’s LGBTQ population.

Pompeo said the State Department has “credible information that Kadyrov is responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights dating back more than a decade, including torture and extrajudicial killings.”

The secretary is encouraging “like minded countries to take similar measures,” which include additional visa restrictions on Kadyrov’s wife and two children.

Pompeo said the U.S. is concerned that Kadyrov is exploiting the coronavirus pandemic “to inflict further human rights abuses on the people of the Chechen Republic” and put the leader on notice.

“Today’s action serves to notify Mr. Kadyrov that his involvement in gross violations of human rights has consequences, both for him and his family, and that the United States is committed to using all the tools at our disposal to ensure accountability for those who engage in this abhorrent behavior.”

In 2018, an independent investigator with the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe said that the Chechen Republic, under Kadyrov’s leadership, was operating under a “climate of impunity” where political opponents, journalists, LGBTQ individuals and more were targeted for harassment and persecution, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The U.S. in 2017 had imposed economic sanctions on Kadyrov over charges of extrajudicial killings and torture related to a crackdown against individuals who were working to expose corruption and fraud in the Russian government.