Editing Jean-Claude Van Damme (section)

===Kadyrov event===
In October 2011, Van Damme, along with other celebrities including [[Hilary Swank]], [[Vanessa-Mae]] and [[Seal (musician)|Seal]] attracted criticism from human rights groups for attending an event in Russian federal subject [[Chechnya]]'s capital [[Grozny]] on the 35th birthday of Chechen president [[Ramzan Kadyrov]] on 5 October.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120905112214/http://www.ndtvmovies.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20110185884&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=hollywood&nid=140460 Hilary Swank, Van Damme criticised over Kadyrov party], Press Trust of India, dated 12 October 2011.</ref> Human rights groups, who had urged the celebrities to cancel their appearances because of abuses carried out under Kadyrov, criticised the celebrities for attending the event.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/13/hilary-swank-regrets-chechen-party| title=Hilary Swank 'regrets' partying with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov| first= Miriam|last= Elder|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| date=13 October 2011| access-date=14 October 2011| location=London}}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] released a statement which said, "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him [...] And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/seal-chechnya-human-rights-247508|title=Seal's Chechen Leader Birthday Bash Performance Questioned By Human Rights Group|work=The Hollywood Reporter | first=Kim|last=Masters|date=12 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/13/hilary-swank-regrets-chechen-party|title=Hilary Swank 'regrets' partying with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov|newspaper=The Guardian| location=London|first=Miriam|last=Elder|date=13 October 2011}}</ref>