Hilary Swank, if despots can shake things up

From Sting to Sharon Stone to Lothar Matthaus: If the fund's true, human rights abuses and torture play no role

The participation of the Hollywood stars Hilary Swank at the birthday celebration of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov tyrants in the past month has also been beneficial. It helps to shed light on an inglorious chapter in the entertainment industry. Because Swank is not alone. Other international artists bring to book for events that are leaders of authoritarian regimes, their children or close associates organized or sponsored. The temptation is enormous, ultimately it's about millions of dollars.

On 5 October came Swank ("Million Dollar Baby") to the magnificent 35th festival Kadyrov's birthday in the Chechen capital of Grozny on, together with the singer and Heidi Klum's husband Seal, the British star violinist Vanessa Mae and the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. For their commitment, officially for the reconstruction of Grozny, to the four significant salaries have received. On the internet website YouTube to see in a film like Swank says to Kadyrov "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" insured, in allusion to Marilyn Monroe's famous congratulations to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and like Van Damme, the Chechen tyrants that he loves him. Also, the television station MDR ballet belonged to the star-studded ceremony in Grozny.

Already in the spring of this year, Kadyrov organized two events with internationally known athletes and entertainers. So he invited in March, some former Brazilian and European soccer stars, including Lothar Matthaus, one to a friendly game. Your opponent: team captain Kadyrov and his team. Belonged to the spectacle of a huge fireworks and a concert by the Belgian singer Lara Fabian. In May, Diego Maradona traveled to Chechnya, as well as the British soccer stars Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler to celebrate in another friendly match, the opening of a stadium with 30 000 places in Grozny. Terek Grozny is here at home, one of the first Russian league team, coached by former top Dutch soccer player Ruud Gullit. For the halftime show, the British singer Craig David had committed.
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Although the exact terms of the contracts are not known, one can assume that the stars have received significant sums for their participation in the actions, Kadyrov's image. At the same time it is hard to believe that the committed no idea about the serious human rights abuses were Kadyrov - a glimpse into the Internet would have sufficed. According to the investigations of the think tank Freedom House Chechnya is regularly among the countries that suppress human rights in the most brutal. The recent report by Freedom House on political and civil liberties worldwide shows that there were in Chechnya, Kadyrov, "several cases of killings on behalf of the government and collective punishment."

The examples of Chechnya would be less worrying if it would be individual cases. The sad truth is that a surprisingly large number of Western artists such as Mariah Carey, Usher, Beyonce, Sharon Stone, and probably many more, by despots whose loans are not known to have sold out to some of the biggest human rights violator. Mariah Carey sang as 2008 for the family of the now ousted Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. For her appearance on the Caribbean island of St. Barts - four songs - they should have received a million dollars. Only after their engagement became public, the singer showed remorse: "I was naive, and I did not realize who I was booked I feel terrible, and I am embarrassed to have participated in this fiasco.." However, it was her but not as embarrassing as that they would have had problems so to keep the check Gaddafi.

Hilary Swank responded to questions from journalists about their performance at Kadyrov with a statement of 15 October, which sounds similar to the Careys. "I deeply regret having participated in this event if I had known what purpose they served obviously, I would never have done." Her spokeswoman, adding that the actress had before her trip to Grozny, no idea of ​​the Kadyrov's alleged role in political killings, torture and disappearances.

Other successful entertainers could not resist the temptation lush salaries as well. So sang even Beyonce Knowles, Usher and Nelly Furtado in the past few years for the Gaddafi family. Furtado then decided quickly, the fee in the amount of one million dollars (paid in 2007, singing for 45 minutes) to donate to charity. Only after a public outcry Usher and Beyonce have indicated that they would donate the payment to the private party Gaddafi. Carey has not passed her appearance money obviously, but they promised that the revenue would be dedicated to one of their songs, "Save the Day", the struggle for human rights. Swank said to have fired last week, according to reports, her long-time manager and two agents for their role in the affair Kadyrov. Besides all their other stars have kept the party apparently their revenues. The singer Seal defended his performance to date for Kadyrov.

In October 2009 the singer Sting went on to an arts festival in Tashkent, organized by Gulnara Karimova. She is the daughter of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's ruthless president. Sting, who has been long recognized as a supporter of environmental protection and human rights, received reports that more than one million dollars for his show. Uzbekistan is published annually on the Freedom House list of "worst of the worst". The actress Sharon Stone has exposed a certain weakness for the big fees that you can get for performances with political leaders and oligarchs in Russia and other repressive regions of the former Soviet Union. In December last year, at a gala for the obscure controversial charity organization "The Federation Fund," Stone sang a duet with autocratic rulers of Russia Vladimir Putin, "Blueberry Hill". Stone should have received for each of these performances a quarter million dollars.

Many celebrities want to put himself in which they lend their names to a good cause. While the star factor can be used positively to promote human rights, environmental or public health campaigns, but it can also be misused, bring to a dictator or his family to a gain in prestige. If the Stars can pay by despots, they corroborate the existence of these oppressors regime. If there are celebrities in the future in the service of tyrants, because they can not resist a quick buck, we should withhold our applause.