Practice of persecuting opponents makes impossible a meeting of Kadyrov and critics of singer Jony

A meeting of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Chechen Minister of Press and Information Akhmed Dudaev with opponents of the Jony’s concert in the republic is impossible, since it would undoubtedly be followed by pressure on critics of the authorities, experts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” point out.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 30, Akhmed Dudaev, Minister of Press and Information of Chechnya, called provocateurs those who were opposing the concert of Jony, a singer of Azerbaijani origin. The Chechen Minister invited the opponents to meet and discuss all claims on the square in front of the House of Celebrations in Grozny at 1:00 p.m. on August 31. Ramzan Kadyrov supported the Akhmed Dudaev’s proposal and challenged “self-appointed theologians” to a debate.

At 2:33 p.m. Moscow time, the “Chechnya Segodnya” (Chechnya Today) news agency posted on its Instagram* page a video from the deserted square, indicating in the description that “none of the social media ‘activists’ appeared for the meeting.”

There will be no one who wants to be under pressure from the authorities of Chechnya, Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes. “People who do not want this singer’s concert in Grozny probably do not live in the Chechen Republic or even in Russia. When the Chechen authorities invite the opponents to come and express their dissatisfaction, the officials know in advance that no one will come and that they will look like winners in this situation,” Ruslan Kutaev told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

If someone responds to the call of Akhmed Dudaev and Ramzan Kadyrov to participate in the discussion, they will be subjected to pressure, Ruslan Kutaev believes.

Alexei Malashenko, a member of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), called the actions of the Chechen authorities a warning.

“In fact, such an invitation looks like a warning not to come. Since everyone knows that anyone who dares to criticize the Ramzan Kadyrov’s decision will get a lot of problems, including pressure from the authorities, loss of work, and so on. In such a situation, there will be no one willing to come to the meeting,” Alexei Malashenko said.

*On March 21, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 31, 2022 at 03:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.