Hilary Swank, Jean-Claude Van Damme Criticized for Attending Chechen President's Party
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is not happy that actors Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude Van Damme attended a multi-million dollar 35th birthday party for Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov last week.
Kadyrov has been accused of human rights violations throughout his presidency.
"Since Vladimir Putin appointed Ramzan Kadyrov as the President of the Chechen Republic in 2007, Kadyrov has been accused of using torture, causing disappearances, and authorizing extrajudicial executions," stated HRF in a statement on its website.
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"On July 3, 2010, Kadyrov publicly stated that the human rights defenders of his country were the 'people's enemies,' a statement that he repeated yesterday when he explained that Colombian singer Shakira turned down the invitation to perform for his birthday. Kadyrov said that Shakira had been talked out of singing for him by human rights activists."
HRF sent out numerous letters asking other celebrities invited to the event to reconsider the invitation given Kadyrov's alleged crimes against humanity. Some of the other A-list entertertainers who were sought after to attend were actors Kevin Costner and Eva Mendes, violinist Vanessa-Mae and Colombian singer Shakira.
Celebrities are often paid to attend or perform at lavish parties to enhance the status of the host.
Costner, Mendes and Shakira declined their invitations, but Vanessa-Mae performed reportedly for half a million dollars.
"Hilary Swank obviously has the right to earn a living entertaining the highest bidder, but this sort of venality should be exposed, especially after claiming she was not going," said President of HFR Thor Halvorssen.
"Would she have accepted an invitation to entertain Pinochet? Al-Qaida? The apartheid government in Pretoria? We must remember the disgrace of Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, Beyoncé and 50 Cent were exposed to after singing for Gaddafi's family and earning millions of dollars for it. And Vanessa-Mae, born under the regime of Singapore, should be particularly sensitive to human rights concerns."
