Authorities’ reaction to beating of a teenager highlights flexibility of morality in Chechnya

The authorities of Chechnya clearly demonstrated their double standards by punishing parents of a teenager for beating his colleague after recently praising Adam Kadyrov for similar violence used against a helpless person. Human rights defenders see the danger of such an approach and the normalization of demonstrative violence for Chechen society, especially for young people.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the authorities of Chechnya promptly responded to an incident with the beating of one teenager by another. The Chechen prosecutor’s office reported on launching an investigation, and Magomed Daudov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament, threatened to punish the parents of the teenager who had distinguished himself by cruelty. At the same time, earlier, he had approved the beating of arrested Nikita Zhuravel by a 15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov.

The double standards of the authorities in responding to two similar incidents are dangerous for Chechen society, emphasizes Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”*.

“In one case, they declare Kadyrov’s son a hero for beating a helpless person, and in another case, they want to punish teenagers for fighting,” pointed out the human rights defender.

Svetlana Gannushkina* notes that Adam Kadyrov has been made a role model for Chechen teenagers. She emphasizes that exculpatory explanations that Adam Kadyrov allegedly defended the Koran by beating Nikita Zhuravel are absolutely incorrect.

Human rights defender Oyub Titiev believes that the demonstration of violence in Chechnya should be stopped. “If the goal is to educate humanism among young people, then the demonstration of violence in various publications with mass access for children and adolescents should be stopped,” stated the human rights defender.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.