Dudayev threatened public censure of Chechen bloggers

Bloggers who defame the Chechen people will not only be called to educative sessions but also publicly reprimanded, said Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya Akhmed Dudayev.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Chechen authorities have launched a blogger registration process, overseen by Amir Sugaipov, the Chechen leader's aide, who promised that anyone who fails to comply with the authorities' demands will be "erased from social media." Sugaipov previously reported on a preventive conversation with two female bloggers. Preventive talks are enshrined in law, but only law enforcement officials can conduct them. In the case of Chechen officials, their actions could be considered a threat, lawyers and human rights activists noted.

In Chechnya, outreach efforts are underway among content creators and bloggers, said Akhmed Dudayev, assistant to the head of Chechnya and acting deputy chairman of the Chechen government and minister for national policy, external relations, press, and information.

Dudayev emphasized that since the beginning of the year, personal meetings have been held with representatives of the online community, where they were given clarifications on unacceptable behavior online and the importance of maintaining decency. According to him, measures will now be taken against those who defame the nation's reputation with their content. "From now on, we will take action against dishonest internet users. We will not only invite them to educational talks, but also publicize such individuals on television, in newspapers, and other media outlets. So that society knows that it is precisely such people who disgrace their nation," Grozny Inform quoted him as saying today.

Dudaev promised to "help in every possible way" those who behave decently online and do not discredit the reputation of Chechens and Muslims with their online behavior.

As a reminder, a campaign to persecute people who claim to be healers, psychics, magicians, and sorcerers has been underway in Chechnya for many years. Initially declared by the republic's head, Ramzan Kadyrov, in 2013, dozens of people were detained, and some went missing. The campaign then subsided, but in 2019, persecution of residents for occult practices intensified again. Grozny State Television regularly aired reports in which local residents repented of their witchcraft practices, and Adam Elzhurkayev, director of the Center for Islamic Medicine, reprimanded them for their practices.