Chechnya: analysts point to increased tensions amid increased quarantine measures

The humiliation practice in Chechnya is on the rise amid the quarantine, the blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has noted. Actions of Chechen law enforcers create tensions in the society, Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that social network users had criticized the Chechen law enforcers after the footages, in which they kicked a resident of Chechnya who violated the quarantine. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, promised to encourage the law enforcers for their beating the violator and announced his readiness to "beat with sticks and put in jails" in order to protect the people from coronavirus. At the same time, the police of the city Argun condemned the law enforcers' actions and promised to punish them.

In the opinion of Alexei Malashenko, a political analyst, after the Kadyrov's statement praising the law enforcers for humiliating the resident of Argun because of quarantine violation, there will be no investigation of this incident.

In the Chechen society, as well as in the Caucasus in general, the attitude toward injustice is very strained, said Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly Caucasian Nations. The authorities in Chechnya should begin to listen to the society and observe citizens' rights, he believes.

There are contradictions in Chechen authorities' actions, said Tumso Abdurakhmanov.

According to the blogger, the Chechen authorities are using the self-isolation regime to strengthen the repressive measures. At the same time, as he noted, the law enforcers, who had subjected the guy to such humiliation, perceived how this would be responded by the society according to Chechen traditions.