chechnya
David France's astonishing HBO film follows an activist group helping gay people flee the small Russian republic.
Families in my country would rather live with the grief of a dead child than the shame of having a gay son and brother.
Chechen authorities have long denied global accusations of an anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The alleged persecutions are a throwback to an earlier crackdown, activists said Friday.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Twitter users had mixed feelings about the "Queer Eye" star citing Russia's anti-LGBTQIA propaganda laws as a reason not to do magazine spreads.
Kremlin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has accused the U.S. government of pressuring the social media platform.
In addition, the U.S. Treasury is sanctioning four Russians under a U.S. law known as the Magnitsky Act.
He also said it's "his dream" to leave office at some point, though he showed no signs of stepping down.
"When people are being rounded up, tortured, and murdered for who they are, you must act.”
#EyesOnChechnya aims to spread awareness of the alleged persecution.