Practice of public apologies is commonplace for Chechen authorities

Authorities of Chechnya have initiated the practice of public apologies; however, now law enforcers and ordinary residents in different Russian regions are resorting to this practice, analysts have commented on the video with an apology of a girl from Krasnodar and the author of a joke about Chechen women.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 1, a video was posted with an apology by Olga Kasyanenko, a Krasnodar blogger, for her statements about residents of Russia. Earlier, a video was posted in which a visitor to a stand-up concert apologized to the Chechen people for a joke about "hanging out with Chechen women."

The situations with the apologies of the girl from Krasnodar and the viewer of the stand-up concert are different, said Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations. "What happened at the concert is not related to any persecution by the state ... Chechens, in principle, are jealous of the issues of honour of women and girls ... Someone could treat the spectator's words at the concert as an insult," he has stated, suggesting that the girl from Krasnodar was forced to apologize by law enforcers. "Awareness of one's guilt and repentance are mitigating circumstances," Mr Kutaev has added.

Svetlana Gannushkina*, the Chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee*, believes that in both cases people have apologized in the hope of avoiding trouble. The spread of the practice of public apologies began from Chechnya, she has noted.

The practice of public apologies is spreading throughout Russia at the instigation of Chechen leadership, a Chechen political analyst has confirmed. "People, of course, are forced to apologize. It's unlikely that one would dare to commit such an act out of self-humiliation without pressure," he has concluded.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.