Rally over teenager’s body in Chechnya raises questions about compliance with Russian laws

Journalist Ksenia Sobchak and human rights defender Eva Merkachyova questioned the legality of the actions of Chechen law enforcers, who put on public display the body of a teenager killed during an attack on a road-and-patrol police service (known as DPS) checkpoint in Achkhoi-Martan. The rally over the body of the killed suspect became an act of intimidation and extreme cruelty, readers of the “Caucasian Knot” believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 7, it became known that an unidentified person with a knife attacked the road-and-patrol police service (known as DPS) checkpoint in Achkhoi-Martan. One of the law enforcers was killed. The authorities’ attempt to identify a “Ukrainian trace” in the attack on the law enforcers in Achkhoi-Martan raises doubts, and the very incident gave Ramzan Kadyrov a pretext to intensify repression, analysts have noted. The body was brought to be shown to public sector employees forcibly gathered from the administration in the morning, sources claim.

The legality of the actions of the Chechen authorities, who put on public display the body of the teenager killed during the attack on the DPS checkpoint in Achkhoi-Martan, has raised questions.

“Does the Ramzan Kadyrov’s regime currently comply with the Russian laws?.. What if they live by their own rules again,” wrote journalist Ksenia Sobchak in her “Krovavaya Barynya” (Bloody Landlady) Telegram channel.

Putting the body of the 17-year-old teenager on public display is a civilizational step backwards that does not comply with any legal norms, human rights defender Eva Merkachyova believes.

“In my opinion, this is an act of savagery, a kind of medieval customs. It does not correspond to any legal norms ... The humanity has evolved to get away from blood feuds, death penalty, and putting cruelty on public display,” emphasized human rights defender Eva Merkachyova as quoted by the “Gazeta.ru” portal.

“Chechens have never practiced any similar disgusting acts ... They respected their enemies and never mocked corpses,” Facebook* user Abu-Halid At-Tumsoj wrote.

Forcing schoolchildren and women into the square and showing them the bloody body of the killed teenager is something outrageous and inhuman, suggests user harvey_quigley, a reader of the “Caucasian Knot”.

Such actions by the Chechen authorities have the signs of criminal offenses, user nathan believes.

Ramzan Kadyrov is intimidating residents to maintain the image of a “safe Chechnya,” notes user buddy_ondrichka.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.