23:51, 29 May 2015

Experts treat detentions of young men with beards in Chechnya as sign of totalitarianism

Tank in the centre of Grozny. Photo by Akhmed Aldebirov for the ‘Caucasian Knot’.

The systematic detentions of young people based on their appearance indicate the arbitrariness of authorities in Chechnya, said the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 23 the marketplaces in Grozny were exposed to new raids, during which young people wearing beards without moustaches were detained.

Residents of Chechnya regularly report on detentions of young men with beards and shaved mustaches by law enforcers. In late January of 2014, Ramzan Kadyrov stated that the republic should be clear "even of the spirit of" trends contradictory to the Koran, Sunnah and Tarekat, among which the Chechen leader mentioned Wahhabism, Habashism, and Tabligh. Meanwhile, in Chechnya, according to experts, a man's belonging to an "undesirable" trend in Islam is often defined by appearance, including beard and short pants, and double Friday prayers.

Such raids are conducted regularly, and people are detained because of their appearance, said Oleg Orlov, a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

A human's appearance is his or her own business, where the authorities should not interfere, the expert said.

"The fact that in Chechnya this issue is a matter of interest of the state is another indication that the republic has established a totalitarian structure, in fact, a separate state," said Oleg Orlov.

Raids by power agents in Chechnya nicely match the picture of the social situation in Russia, Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the "Civil Assistance" Committee, said in her turn.

"This is a frank arbitrariness, which is expressed in many different ways. It is clear that the raids are being conducted in coordination with the head of the republic. In Chechnya, nothing is done without Kadyrov's consent," said Gannushkina.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.