The first report on
the issue was published on April 1 by the major Russian newspaper Novaya
Gazeta, which claimed that more than 100 men had been detained or disappeared in Chechnya on suspicion of being homosexual, and that some of them had been killed.
A number of witnesses and victims gave
CNN horrific accounts of torture, saying that hundreds of gay men were
being rounded up by authorities and held in appalling conditions in
least three detention centers.
"We've
heard some very negative reports about how homosexuals are treated in
Chechnya, and I asked Mr. Putin to use his influence to ensure the
rights of such minorities," Merkel told reporters after meeting with
Putin, according to a translation.
Chechnya is one of several semi-autonomous republics within Russia.
Being
gay is considered by many in the Muslim-majority republic to be
shameful, and in Chechnya the practice of so-called honor killings --
murder by family members to expunge shame -- is widespread.
In
April a Chechen government spokesman called the allegations of a
crackdown "an absolute lie," and denied that gay men exist in the
republic.
Merkel and Putin talk law enforcement
Merkel also stressed the importance of civil rights to Putin, including the right to demonstrate and the right for NGOs to operate freely.
Russia
has passed a series of laws in recent years that has made protesting
nearly impossible and has clamped down on NGOs that voice opposition to
the Kremlin or that receive foreign funding.
Putin
was also asked by a reporter for his response to a spate of attacks on
Russian opposition figures in recent weeks. Putin's main political
opponent, Alexey Navalny, was reportedly hit in an acid attack this
week, as were several other activists.
Putin responded by saying he and Merkel spoke about Russian law enforcement.
"The
law enforcement agencies in Russia are acting in a much more mitigated
way than many of our partners in Western Europe," he said, adding that
victims of such attacks had access to the justice system.
Merkel
met with Putin at his summer residence in Sochi on the Black Sea coast
as Berlin-Moscow relations remain stuck at a low over the Ukraine crisis
and Syrian war.
It is Merkel's first official trip to Russia since 2015.
Ukraine and sanctions
The leaders did not speak explicitly about sanctions at the press conference after their meeting, but they both said they were committed to the Minsk agreements, aimed at bringing an end to the Ukraine crisis, despite slow progress.
Merkel
has openly backed the European Union's decision to place sanctions on
Russia following Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from
Ukraine in 2014. She has been the lead mediator in talks with Russia
over Crimea.
A pro-Russia rebel patrols a neighborhood near the central railway station in Donetsk, Ukraine in 2014.
The
agreements involve a ceasefire, and pulling weapons and pro-Russian
forces out of the area. They were brokered by Merkel and French
President Francois Hollade.
The EU
sanctions -- as well as US sanctions -- on Russia have been a major
thorn in the Kremlin's side. Moscow has lobbied world leaders to drop
the restrictions that have taken a toll on the country's economy,
already sluggish on low oil prices.
The
sanctions are due to expire this summer and the EU is discussing their
extension. Moscow has responded to them with its own embargo on
agricultural goods from Western countries.
Gernot
Erler, Germany's top Russia policy official, said earlier that Merkel
would reiterate Berlin's position that sanctions against Russia could be
lifted swiftly if Moscow adhered to the Minsk agreements, according to
the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.
Merkel
conceded that the political process had been slow, but brushed off
suggestions by reporters that it should be scrapped and replaced with a
new instrument.
"Our objective is
that Ukraine will get access to its own border, but before that, a
ceasefire then a political solution should be found," she said.
"We need implementation and (some) sides need to step up."
Putin and
Merkel also discussed the fight against terrorism and the situation in
the Middle East, but they gave little insight into those discussions at
their press briefing.
The two
leaders and their governments stand on opposing sides of the Syrian war.
Putin is the most powerful ally of embattled Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad. Merkel has openly called for Assad's ouster, though she
advocates doing so through a democratic political process.
Russia
is widely criticized by the West for propping up Assad's regime with
powerful airstrikes that have decimated swathes of the country.
Erler
acknowledged that a peace deal for Syria was no longer possible without
Russia, which he described as "the savior of Assad."
He suggested that Merkel might push Putin to allow other foreign countries to take part in future negotiations.
Russia
is currently holding ceasefire talks with warring factions in Syria's
war. It is working only with Turkey and Iran on the deal.
"We
have to acknowledge that all previous peace efforts have failed. The UN
Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, has not made any progress. But also
the ceasefire talks initiated by Russia have not led to any tangible
results," Erler told Berliner Zeitung.
Diplomatic thaw?
Merkel's
trip is expected to keep her in the country for a mere five hours, but
the meeting does suggest a diplomatic thaw between the leaders has
begun.
Putin and Merkel, both
stalwart leaders in their countries, have kept regular communications
open over the years. Both speak each other's language and have overseen
periods of expanded Russian-German trade relations.
Putin (R) pats his dog Koni in Merkel's presence, in Sochi on January 21, 2007.
But
that closeness didn't come immediately. Putin was infamously accused of
trying to intimidate Merkel in her early years as Chancellor, when he
brought his dog -- a large black Labrador named Koni -- into a bilateral
meeting and press conference in 2007.