Instagram users criticize Ramzan Kadyrov's spokesman for justifying public humiliation

The forced return from Moscow and the public reprimand on the air of the "Grozny" TV Company became a blessing for the young people who voiced their apologies, since "five minutes of shame were better than years behind bars," said the press secretary for Ramzan Kadyrov. Offenders should be punished under the law, while apologies voiced on the air of the TV Channel are no longer taken seriously, Instagram users note.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in early August, the authorities of Chechnya forced about a hundred natives of the republic to return home from Moscow. The law enforcement bodies declared the returned young men to be drug addicts and law breakers. The returned young people voiced their apologies in public.

Ilman Vakhidov, the press secretary of the leader of Chechnya, expressed his indignation about the reaction of "a number of media outlets," "human rights defenders," and "liberals" to the forced return from Moscow of the Chechen natives, who were subjected to public reprimand. According to Ilman Vakhidov, the authorities of Chechnya have provided "more than 100 potential criminals" with "an excellent chance to return to the normal life." The press secretary of the Chechen leader noted that for the young people themselves, "five minutes of shame were better than years behind bars."

In their comments left on the "Online Chechnya" Instagram account, users expressed different opinions with regard to the statement voiced by Ilman Vakhidov. "How can you say 'five minutes of shame are better than years behind bars'? If someone broke the law he should be imprisoned, but not humiliated in front of the whole community. If someone did not commit anything criminal, he should be set free, without talking of things that never happened," wrote user msr52752 as translated from the Chechen language by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"I also believe the fact that they were shown on TV will not change the guys. I suggest that people have already begun to treat all that with humour. You are right. If someone is guilty, he should be punished. And if someone is not guilty, let him go," wrote user dfg173w.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 7, 2020 at 05:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.