14 October 2011 9:37 AM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

Talk about backtracking: after the Human Rights Watch publicly criticized Hilary Swank for appearing at the birthday party for notorious Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, the two-time Oscar winner actress has been doing serious damage control. The October 5th event was the glittering 35th birthday celebration of the Kremilin-supported leader, who has been accused by the organization of militant rule, torture, murder and other "crimes against humanity."

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the Human Rights Watch pointed to other celebrities who had in the past supported controversial political figures before singling out Swank and co-attendees Jean-Claude Van Damme, Seal and violinist Vanessa Mae, who attended the event in exchange for a rumored several hundred thousand dollars.

“We must remember the disgrace Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, Beyoncé and 50 Cent were exposed to after singing for the Gadhafi family and earning millions of dollars for it,” said Thor Halvorssen, president of the Human Rights Foundation. »


- Entertainment Weekly

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