Videos on social networks with Chechen law enforcers prove overcoming fear in society

The number of videos confirming human rights violations in Chechnya is growing, and that fact irritates the authorities, suggests Alexei Malashenko, a member of the Expert Council of the Carnegie Moscow Centre. Such videos are a form of public protest, Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov believes.

In Chechnya, the society is gradually ceasing to fear bans, and that fact irritates the local authorities, notes Alexei Malashenko, a member of the Expert Council of the Carnegie Moscow Centre.

"Firstly, people ceased to fear, and secondly, everything that they do somehow falls on Ramzan Kadyrov. This is a sign that he is not able to control the situation. Thirdly, people are annoyed with the coronavirus situation, and Ramzan Kadyrov will not able to do anything with that fact. Of course, he may want to do something, but he is afraid because it will be made public. And at a committee meeting in the presence of President Putin, someone may say: "And I’ve got a video, let's watch it," Alexei Malashenko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Making public videos about the violations by the police of rights of Chechen residents is a form of public protest, believes Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov.

"These videos are an attempt by people to disagree with lawlessness. Despite the tough fight against the phenomenon, people still record on video the power offenses at their own peril. People are punished, publicly humiliated, and forced to apologize, but they still record videos to make violations public. Of course, this is disobedience or rather such a form of struggle with the authorities, of which the police are a part," Tumso Abdurakhmanov told the "Caucasian Knot".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2020 at 02:09 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.