July 5, 2010 – July 11, 2010
Kadyrov condones paintball attacks on women during interview
The Kremlin-appointed president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, caused widespread condemnation and alarm following his incendiary remarks made during an interview that aired on July 3 on local television during which he referred to independent journalists and human rights activists as “traitors and enemies of the state.” The remarks came days before Kadyrov’s spokesman announced that the Chechen leader was planning to reinitiate a criminal defamation claim against Oleg Orlov, the chair of a prominent human rights organization Memorial, who accused Kadyrov of being accountable for the still-unsolved murder of Natalya Estemirova last year. In February, Kadyrov announced that he was dropping the criminal case against Orlov on the wishes of his mother.
Responding to a different question regarding reports that masked gunmen have been attacking women with paintball guns on the streets of Grozny for allegedly not wearing headscarves in public, Kadyrov denied that he had authorized the attacks or knew the perpetrators, but said that he plans to “express his gratitude” once the attackers are identified. Human rights organizations continue to express concern regarding the deterioration of women’s rights and their position in the Chechen society.
Dick Marty, a Swiss senator at the Parliamentary Assembly at the Council of Europe and the author of the recent report on legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus, called the remarks “unacceptable and unworthy” and urged the Russian government to ensure the safety of human rights workers. Two senators who represent Chechnya in the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, defended the Chechen president, remarking that there must have been “serious reasons” for Kadyrov’s statements against the activists.
Related articles:
BBC News, July 9, 2010
The Moscow Times, July 9, 2010
Caucasian Knot, July 9, 2010 (in Russian)
The Independent, July 9, 2010
Reuters, July 8, 2010
The Moscow Times, July 6, 2010 Putin’s plan to solve problems in the North Caucasus focuses on economic development At the United Russia party conference in the Stavropol region on Tuesday, July 6, the Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, unveiled an ambitious economic development plan for the North Caucasus region that among other projects, envisions the construction of a network of ski resorts that would create 160,000 new jobs. He added that $65 million would be allocated to the ski resort project this year but stressed that most of the funds would come from private investors. The majority of Putin’s proposals correlated with ideas already proposed by Alexander Khloponin, the Kremlin’s special envoy to the North Caucasus, in a 15-year development program submitted to the Kremlin last month. Khloponin has been charged with implementing the Kremlin’s revised strategy that focuses on socio-economic development to pacify and stabilize the region.
Critics have questioned the validity of the strategy while a low-level Islamist insurgency continues to fester in the region. In recent months, the republics of Ingushetia and Degastan have witnessed increased militant attacks and clashes with authorities, including suicide bombings. In Chechnya, militants continue to target authorities despite claims by Ramzan Kadyrov that the insurgency has been effectively crushed.
Contradicting his own claims on July 7, Kadyrov announced that the Chechen authorities would once again offer amnesty to militants “who have not committed grave crimes” for laying down their arms and returning to civilian life. Kadyrov suspended a similar program in May 2009, following a series of suicide bombings in Grozny. Since then, members of the Chechen security forces have been accused of carrying out reprisals against families of alleged militants. Last month, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously adopted a resolution that criticized the pervading climate of fear in Chechnya and explicitly condemned such reprisals.
Related articles:
RFE/RL, July 8, 2010
The Moscow Times, July 7, 2010
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