Irked by Question About Gay Rights in Chechnya, Russian Spokeswoman Asks for Journalist to Be Given Trip There

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was involved in an exchange with a journalist during a briefing on May 31 about the treatment of gay people in Chechnya, during which she suggested the journalist be offered a trip to the region.A visibly annoyed Zakharova had the exchange after a Finnish journalist, Erkka Mikkonen, of Yleisradio asked her about the treatment of gay people in Chechnya.The treatment of LGBT minorities in Chechnya, where activists have reports arrests and torture of gay men, has been widely discussed in recent times. In May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to protect gay rights.According to subtitles produced by a former Associated Press reporter, Mikkonen first “joked” that the situation of gay people in Chechnya was Zakharova’s “favorite” subject, only to be quickly contradicted by her.Mikkonen then reportedly asked if Zakharova agreed that there were no gay people in Chechnya. He also asked how the situation in general affected Russian relations with the EU.After asking the journalist’s name, Zakharova proceeded to address the camera rather than him, asking Kadyrov to organize a trip for the journalist to go to Chechnya.The Tass agency reported that Kadyrov was ready to organize the trip for Mikkonen.