Three persons apologize in public for theft in Chechnya

People detained for theft apologized on the air of the "Grozny" TV Channel. Some Instagram users doubted the sincerity of remorse and tried to associate thefts with the problem of unemployment in Chechnya.

Theft is an "unusual phenomenon for the mentality of Vainakh people," and an attack on other people's house is traditionally particularly condemned in Chechnya, journalists say. Asvad Kharikhanov, Deputy Mufti of Chechnya, has noted that Islam concepts involve cruel punishments for theft. "In the Koran, Allah says: if a man or a woman involved in theft has been caught, then his or her arm or leg is to be chopped off," the Deputy Mufti said.

Ruslan Taramov, a resident of Grozny, showed in the TV report, confessed to burglary and an attempt to rob a woman in a lift.

Another man detained for theft confessed that he robbed his neighbour in a hostel in Gudermes.

Some Instagram users found that inappropriate to quote the Koran concerning such a severe punishment for theft.

Social network user zamuzhem3528 did not believe in the sincerity of the public remorse. Thefts are provoked by social and economic problems, says user shaylahgallagher.

In Chechnya, acts of burglaries of other people's houses are "very rare," the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.