12 October 2011 9:24 AM, PDT | National Ledger | See recent National Ledger news »
Hollywood stars Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude Van Damme have been criticized by human rights groups for attending the birthday celebrations of Chechnya's President Ramzan Kadyrov last week. Hilary, 37, and Jean-Claude, 50, were in Grozny, Chechnya on October 5 to celebrate his 35th birthday party. Van Damme stood onstage at the party and said: 'I love you Mr. Kadyrov,' and Hilary added that she was glad to be in Grozny and wished him a 'Happy Birthday'. However, the pair's attendance has angered activists who accuse Kadyrov of acts of brutality and torture against his own people. Thor Halvorssen, president of the Human Rights Foundation, said: "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. "Would she have accepted an invitation to entertain [former Chilean leader Augusto] Pinochet? al-Qaeda? The apartheid government in Pretoria? We must »
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