Residents of Chechnya complain about "spiritual-moral certification" under guise of questioning

The Chechen authorities have not abandoned the idea of the "spiritual-moral certification" of young people. However, because of the public resonance, they implement it under the guise of questioning. This was reported by residents of Chechnya. According to them, Chechen young people are actually forced to denounce themselves.

A leader of one of the Chechen NGOs has noted that every person in the age from 14 to 35 years old should fill in "spiritual and moral passports". In the questionnaire, Chechen residents should report about personal religious views and tribal affiliation.

Residents of Chechnya interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent have noted their negative attitude to the initiative, even if it is carried out under the guise of questioning.

In some municipalities, district police inspectors visit all houses and force young people to fill in questionnaires, residents of Chechnya report.

On February 25, a scanned sample of questionnaire was posted on Facebook by Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, the project director for Northern Caucasus of the International Crisis Group (ICG).

According to the sample of the document, a person should specify in a questionnaire passport data, place of residence, and place of study or work. Besides, everyone should also attach own photo. The questionnaire also includes a line "I confirm that I observe, respect and honour the values of my religion, nation and state. I also give my consent to the processing of my personal data," and a person should select the mark "Agree" or "Disagree".

Meanwhile, Maxim Shevchenko, a member of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia, has expressed the opinion that in case of arrest or beating, a questionnaire "can save freedom and even life of a Chechen guy."

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