Demand to get vaccinated under threat of firing shows intimidation atmosphere that reigns in Chechnya

The audio record, in which an official from the healthcare system demands from medical workers of the kindergartens of the Nadterechny District to ensure their employees' visiting the polyclinic for vaccinations and accompanies his order with threats of dismissal, reflects an atmosphere of intimidation that has formed in Chechnya, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a woman from Chechnya had provided, on condition of anonymity, the "Caucasian Knot" with an audio record made, according to her story, in early April. As she asserts, an official from the republic's healthcare system appeals to medical workers of the kindergartens of the Nadterechny District and notifies them of the need to accompany kindergarten employees to the polyclinic for vaccination. She says those who refuse vaccination will be fired.

The record may be original, Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the "Civil Assistance" Committee, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "It may well be real ... Russia is now pursuing a policy aimed at ensuring that everyone who can should be vaccinated. Each region implements this policy in its own way. In Moscow, for example, they send invitation letters; and in Chechnya they chose to threaten people," she has noted.

"The content of the audio record is very typical for Chechnya. The same practice is applied in other regions – they download instructions from above, which must be carried out at any cost," Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The existing practices (in Chechnya) show that everything can happen," Oyub Titiev, a Chechen human rights defender, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, in his comment on the audio record.

Messrs Kutaev and Titiev said they did not face such pressure in Chechnya aimed to force people to get vaccinated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 17, 2021 at 04:02 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.