OPINION

Justice According to Kadyrov

By Yulia Latynina

News agencies reported last week that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was the target of an assassination attempt. Chechen authorities immediately denied the reports; the president’s press secretary, Lema Gudayev, said Kadyrov had been in Yaroslavl watching Chechnya’s Terek football team play at the time of the alleged attack. Kadyrov was even more direct in his denunciation of the allegations, saying, “These provocative fantasies are thought up by extremists and their henchmen.” Translated from Chechen, this means: “Leave us alone. We’ll work this out ourselves.”

In the absence of facts, rumors about the assassination attempt spread like wildfire, which frequently happens in Chechnya. One report described an attempt on his life Thursday in Tsentoroi, a village southeast of Grozny. Another claimed he was attacked at a stadium in Gudermes on Monday. The web site Kavkazcenter.com combined those versions and announced that there had been two attempts on Kadyrov’s life.

What really happened? It is difficult to be sure since those who know the facts remain silent, which is a clear demonstration of how much control Kadyrov has over Chechnya and how much Chechens fear him. Whatever happened, it seems to have been more of a routine skirmish than an assassination attempt. A widespread rumor has it that Kadyrov was speaking to the nephew of one of his closest aides. When Kadyrov raised his voice and swore at the nephew, the young man drew his gun in response. The uncle then used his own body to shield Kadyrov from his nephew’s threats. From that point on, accounts vary. One version holds that the uncle is alive and well; another that he died saving Kadyrov’s life; and still another that the uncle was punished for his nephew’s misbehavior and is sitting in prison.

Some people claim that Kadyrov was injured in the encounter, that he has a visible limp and cannot move one shoulder. If this is true, Kadyrov’s appearance shortly after the attack at a football match in Yaroslavl is like Napoleon Bonaparte’s decision to attend an opera despite narrowly escaping a major assassination attempt on the way. By making public appearances, both Napoleon and Kadyrov wanted to show that nothing could faze them.

Kadyrov has kept a tight lid on rumors surrounding the incident because it concerns interclan conflicts. And true to his leadership style, Kadyrov closed the investigation, delivered the verdict and carried out the sentence.

Nevertheless, it seems that the assassination attempt was used as a pretext for carrying out a major purge within Kadyrov’s inner circle.

Eyewitnesses claim that on July 20 in Tsentoroi, the screams of torture victims could be heard coming from the so-called Brat base on the western edge of the village. It seemed to them that these were sons and other relatives of high-ranking officials of the republic, including the son of a major economics official and the brother of a regional police chief, along with his two sons. Apparently, a shooting also took place as part of a cleansing of Kadyrov’s inner circle.

Increased pressure has also been applied to the families whose relatives are fighting against Kadyrov in the woods. They are threatened with cruel retribution if they do not hand over their children, and some of their homes have been set on fire. But it is unlikely that these measures are linked directly with the alleged assassination attempt against Kadyrov.

Although inflicting collective punishment is unthinkable in a government run by the rule of law, it seems to be the best way to fight insurgents in a clan-based society.

Yulia Latynina hosts a political talk show on Ekho Moskvy radio.

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