Blogger Iraziev claims being registered at police after criticizing nightclubs in Dagestan

In his video appeal, Eldar Iraziev, a comedian actor and a blogger, who is popular in Dagestan, has said that law enforcers put him on the police prevention registration list as an extremist after he had spoken about nightclubs. When commenting on the scandalous performance "Hunting for Men", the blogger called for the introduction of censorship in Dagestan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the defenders of morality, including the MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, criticized the play "Hunting for Men", staged in Makhachkala. Ivan Zhidkov, the producer of the play and an actor, has apologized to residents of the republic, noting that the theatrical company is receiving threats in social networks.

In his video appeal, posted on Instagram on February 27, Eldar Iraziev mentioned that he had been put on the police prevention registration list as an extremist after he had spoken "very softly" against night clubs. The artist also noted that he "always tried to do only good things" for the republic, including rendering assistance to sick children. "We did only good things, and I was finally stigmatized in such a way. And now I am an extremist," said Eldar Iraziev.

Eldar Iraziev also expressed his opinion regarding the performance "Hunting for Men".

"Such conflicts will last not for years, but for decades. It is necessary to 'clarify and specify' the cultural life of the republic," noted Eldar Iraziev. And he continued to explain: "We already had a resonance all over the country with a concert of Egor Kreed, anime festivals, and some movies. All this will continue. And to solve the situation, we should not try to reinvent the wheel. (...) We should just take an example from our neighbours, who prior to let someone entering the republic want to familiarize themselves with his or her repertoire and the songs a person will sing."

Social network users supported Eldar Iraziev and condemned the law enforcers. However, the artist's request to introduce censorship caused an emotional discussion in the comments to his post.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 28, 2019 at 02:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.