Hilary Swank criticized for going to Chechnya
October 12th, 2011 - 10:05 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattLos Angeles, Oct 12 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Oscar-winning stars Hilary Swank and Jan Claude Van Damme were in Chechnya last week for the birthday bash of the country’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The two have come under barrage of criticism because Ramzan is seen as a dictator.
Human rights activists are leading the chorus against the two stars for honoring the invitation to attend the party. Human Right Watch said they sent letters to the two and warned them against honoring the invitation. The organization claimed that they showed the two documentation evidence of the human right abuses that Ramzan has committed over the years.
Chechnya is one of the poorest regions in Europe but CBS News reports that violist Vanessa-Mae was paid $500,000 to perform at the party. It is believed that Van Damme and Swank were also paid in that region to be at the party.
It is a common practice for celebrities and Hollywood stars to accept money in order to grace such parties. In 2009, ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi reportedly paid Mariah Carey $1 million to perform at his son’s New Year party.
The rep of Swank said she was not aware of the human abuses of Ramzan when she accepted the invitation for the party. Analysts say the two American stars have not broken any law by appearing at the party.
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- Chechnya President Kadyrov plans friendly football match against Brazil's WC heroes - Feb 19, 2011
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- Russia's Chechnya, Ingushetia involved in land grabbing row - Aug 27, 2012
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- Two police officers among 12 killed in Chechnya - Aug 29, 2010
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