Ramzan Kadyrov Issues Threats to Memorial

On July 3, 2010 in an interview to TV channel “Grozny”, Ramzan Kadyrov named members of Human Rights Center “Memorial” the enemies of the people, enemies of the law and of the state.

In today’s Chechnya this public statement of the President of the Chechen Republic sounds as a direct and clear threat. Republican officials and personnel of security services will take these words of Ramzan Kadyrov as an instruction to act against Memorial and its representatives. Some of them can take these words of their leader as an announcement that Memorial members are outlaw, with all the ensuing consequences. In the first half of 2009 the authorities of the Chechen Republic gradually intensified their public attacks on human rights defenders, including Memorial members. On July 15, 2009 Natasha Estemirova was killed.

A year has passed. We observe similar tendencies. Public statements announcing human rights defenders “the enemies of the people, enemies of the law, enemies of the state” can have new tragic consequences. We would also like to note that in this interview Ramzan Kadyrov vividly demonstrates the discrimination of women in Chechnya. The President of the Chechen Republic openly approves illegal actions- shooting with paintballs at women whose look does not satisfy his criteria of modesty. This statement of Kadyrov, as well as his words about Memorial and human rights defenders are conducive to inciting hatred and the practice of illegal violence in Chechnya.

The full text of the interview with Ramzan Kadyrov in Russian can be found at Memorial website http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/index.htm (Memorial comments in footnotes). The translation of passages regarding Memorial and discrimination of women is attached.

For further information: Memorial.