23:57, 10 January 2020

Chechen authorities invent dress code for tourists

A memo for tourists. Screenshot of the post on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Bs-UnF1jv/

The Chechen Ministry of Tourism has issued a memo on how to dress in the republic and communicate with local women.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ramzan Kadyrov is forming the "Code of Conduct of a Chechen". He has stated that he won't allow violators of local customs to live in Chechnya.

The rules drawn up by the Ministry of Tourism cover both men and women. "We don't recommend women to wear defiant clothes. The principle is very simple: the more modestly you are dressed, the easier you will feel in Chechnya. For men: in Chechnya it is not customary to appear in public in shorts; and it's also not recommended to wear sleeveless shirts," says the memo posted on the Ministry's page on the Instagram.

Chechen authorities monitor how local residents are dressed. According to women working in Chechen state entities, in December 2016, their managers ordered them to go to work in hijabs – headscarves that completely cover their hair and forehead.

A special point of the memo relates to communication with women. "There is no custom to handshake with Chechen girls; just resort to verbal greetings. Touching Chechen women is considered an insult; any flirting is strictly condemned," the Ministry has warned tourists.

The Ministry claims that only men can smoke in Chechnya. But even men "when older people appear, should better hide a cigarette behind the back," the memo says.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 10, 2020 at 04:01 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.