Natella Kolosova: cronyism is the main form of corruption in Northern Caucasus

Corruption in Northern Caucasus differs from the all-Russian one: the south of the country is indulged in so-called "clan corruption" when some groups of citizen promote their relatives and often neglect the more experienced and trained personnel. This was reported by participants of the press conference "Corruption and Human Rights in Contemporary Russia".

The press conference on the topic "Corruption and Human Rights in Contemporary Russia", which was held on September 12 at the Independent Press Centre in Moscow, was devoted to violations of human rights because of high level of corruption in the country and, in particular, in Northern Caucasus. The meeting represented the discussion of the Report on the results of analysis of the relationship between corruption and violations of rights and freedoms of citizens, prepared by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, the INDEM Foundation, the Institute of Human Rights and the international NGO to combat corruption and investigate level of corruption "Transparency International-Russia", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

In particular, the event was attended by Valentin Gefter, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organization "Institute for Human Rights", Andrei Kalikh, the coordinator of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Vladimir Rimsky, the head of the Sociology Department of the INDEM Foundation, and Natella Kolosova from the Higher School of Economics.

Natella Kolosova: religion does not influence corruption level

"I was researching how the corruption is absorbed into the traditions and culture of the Caucasus. It is impossible to identify the level of corruption in the region in the figures, since the corruption is presented in other forms clan and kinship, that is, promoting 'their' people and creating a kinship coalition. A striking example is the Kadyrov clan in Chechnya. In Dagestan, the situation is a little bit different: there are many nationalities there Avars, Kumyks, who occupy senior positions, and it is quite difficult for them to agree among themselves," said Natella Kolosova at the press conference.

According to the expert, because of the corruption, the region faces a shortage of professionals capable of solving the problems.

"In Chechnya, there is a stable situation; Kadyrov has achieved a result; however, that is the very 'clan corruption' one of the ways of the political system," Natella Kolosova stated. She has noted that if "to remove Kadyrov from the political arena," there will be no stability in the region.

According to Natella Kolosova, religion does not affect the level of corruption. "It is wrong to say that Muslims are more prone to corruption than Christians. Religious moment does not matter in this issue. In secular Georgia, the level of corruption is lower than in Russia, and the same situation is true for Islamic Iran," Natella Kolosova says.

Valentin Gefter: kidnappings represent special corruption schemes in Caucasus

Valentin Gefter, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organization "Institute for Human Rights", has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "cronyism" in corruption is yet a little-studied phenomenon and it should be studies further.

According to Valentin Gefter, among the Caucasian corrupt practices, which affect human rights, kidnappings play a separate role. "However, there are different kidnappings. There are kidnappings, which represent a tradition, for example, an abduction of a bride. Here I do not see any violation of rights, since a 'kidnapping' is being committed, we can say, by agreement," the expert says. He continues: "And another thing is a forced kidnapping of people for ransom, committed by power agents or militants (I see no difference there). Here is a corruption element. That is a criminal crime that should be prosecuted. Moreover, that crime is persecuted by Caucasian customs. However, following the traditions, an offender is being punished not by criminal proceedings, but by vengeance. However, in recent time, militants rarely kidnap people for ransom, since they switched to terror and sabotage."

Vladimir Rimsky: it is impossible to eliminate cronyism at once

In his turn, Vladimir Rimsky, the representative of the INDEM Foundation, treats "clan corruption" as a medieval phenomenon. "Cronyism provokes corruption and violates human rights," Vladimir Rimsky says. He continues: "The very approach to understanding the right is distorted. It is an out-of-dated, planning approach, that is, if you are our person, then you have rights. It turns out to be the Middle Ages."

"We should eliminate cronyism, step by step. It is impossible to eliminate cronyism at once," Vladimir Rimsky has emphasized. He continued: "Let it happen not now, let it happen in several generations; however, we should choose the right way, the right path. We should involve people in discussion to urge them to make conclusions step by step."