Caucasian historians point to deepening practice of public apologies in Chechnya

The "Grozny" TV Channel devoted a story to the exposure of a Chechen resident who complained about the insufficient assistance of the authorities to people with disabilities. A disabled person was forced to apologize not even for an appeal, but for a comment on the Internet, experts note.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in July, the "Grozny" TV Channel showed reports about Lizan Isakova, a woman from Grozny, and her son, accused of fraud with disability.

Under the announcement of the TV story about Lizan Isakova, a wheelchair user left a comment, who also claimed that the authorities of the Chechen Republic did not pay attention to people with disabilities, but he had already apologized to officials, reports the "Grozny" TV Channel in its story. "There are often people who, despite the assistance provided to them, continue to slander the authorities," the TV story states.

The wheelchair user could apologize under pressure, believes Salavdi, a resident of the republic.

The leader of Chechnya himself admitted that the TV announcement, under which the negative comment was left, was a provocation, notes Marina, a woman from Grozny.

The story of the apology is "classic" for Chechnya, but the fact that the person with disabilities has apologized sounds alarming, believes Mikhail Roschin, a scientist engaged in oriental studies.

This time, the authorities did not respond to the appeal, but to a critical comment only, notes Caucasus historian Akhmet Yarlykapov. He called the actions of the Chechen authorities the "total control over the Internet."