Tatiana Lokshina: Chechen authorities use repressions in attempt to prevent negative publicity

The fight against dissent in Chechnya was enhanced in late 2014, and the measures taken by the authorities are of repressive and punitive nature. This was stated by the human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW). Ramzan Kadyrov has repeatedly received signals of the Kremlin's dissatisfaction with his policy, and a carte blanche given to him in Chechnya is not absolute, said Tatiana Lokshina, Russia programme director at HRW, while commenting on the HRW's report.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 31, the human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) released a report, in which it noted that on the eve of the election of the leader of the republic, the Chechen authorities force to silence their critics. Furthermore, the human rights defenders have expressed doubts over possibility of holding free and fair election in Chechnya.

The repressions in Chechnya are connected not only with the election of the leader of the republic, which are scheduled for September 18. The fight with dissent should restrain the flow of negative information from Chechnya, which could adversely affect the Kremlin's support for Ramzan Kadyrov. This opinion was voiced by Tatiana Lokshina, Russia programme director at HRW.

"Yes, Kadyrov goes to the election for the first time. Earlier, he used to be always appointed to his post, and obviously, for him, it is important to assert his power through election... But the other important fact is that since December 2014, Kadyrov received signals about the Kremlin's dissatisfaction. There were though soft, but still indications of some problems. And he has apparently assumed that if no negative information is reported then there will be no problems," Tatiana Lokshina told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

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