Residents of Chechnya complain to rights defenders about coercion to get vaccinated

In Chechnya, the budget-funded state servants have to get vaccinated under a threat of dismissal, while law enforcer take away cars from unvaccinated drivers, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 16, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, threatened to impose severe restrictions on coronavirus in the event of low vaccination rates. Local residents complain about compulsory vaccinations. Since July 9, those who had not been vaccinated cannot visit mosques. Without vaccination certificates people are not served at stores; they can't even buy bread, local residents complain.

All the employed residents of Chechnya must get vaccinated, the HRC "Memorial"* reports with reference to local residents. The unvaccinated residents can't receive any documents at state institutions; they may be refused servicing at stores, fuelling stations and even in pharmacies.

In Chechnya, law enforcers also check drivers' vaccination certificates, human rights defenders report. If a driver hasn't one, the car is sent to a penalty car park.

"In Chechnya, as well as in Russia as a whole, the population treats vaccination with great distrust," human rights defenders assert. They have suggested that in the republic (Chechnya), where human rights are constantly violated – "from indiscriminate shelling and bombing to kidnapping, torture and extrajudicial executions" – the distrust is especially high.