Putin makes a war criminal president in Chechnya

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) criticised the decision of the Russian president Vladimir Putin to designate the former Chechnyan prime minister as transitional president of the Caucasian republic. "Ramzan Kadyrov should be put before an international war crimes tribunal and not into a government office”, said the GfbV correspondent for the Russian Federation Sarah Reinke. Investigations of the human rights organisation show that Ramzan Kadyrov and his body-guard are directly responsible for countless murders, rapes and abductions of Chechnyan civilians, among whom are many children. Kadyrov has for example illegal prisons in his home-town of Tsenteroi. There people who are suspected of belonging to the Chechnyan fighting units are tortured to extract confessions from them. Since his accession to power an increasing number of innocent relatives of purported or real fighters have been abducted.

Ramsan Kadyrov, the son of the previous Chechnyan president Achmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated, has built up an atmosphere of fear in Chechnya. Abductions and mishandlings are no longer reported to the authorities for fear of family arrests and other forms of cruel punishment. The civil population fears the "Kadyrovtsy”, the death squads which are personally dedicated to the 30-year old, and the so-called security forces, more than the Russian soldiers. It is true that he is characterised as the man to whom one must be grateful for the reconstruction of Chechnya after 10 years of war. However the humanitarian and social situation in Chechnya remains catastrophic. The result of inadequate medical care is according to official statistics the fact that over half of the Chechnyan children are born ill and the rate of unemployment lies at over 80%

Background

Since the year 2000 the Kremlin has been placing its trust in the so-called "Chechnyisation” of the conflict, i.e. it leaves the Chechnyans who are loyal to Moscow with the job of dealing with the armed Chechnyan opposition. Until 2004 Putin relied on Achmad Kadyrov, the former mufti of Chechnya, who built up a paramilitary organisation which was directly responsible to him and led by his son. This consisted of up to 14,000 men, mainly recruited from Chechnyan fighters. Personal loyalty to Ramzan Kadyrov was often obtained by use of the most brutal methods. As proof of his loyalty a new Kadyrovtsy had for example to "cleanse” his home village. Kadyrovtsy are not brought to justice for serious violations of human rights. This impunity has led to the continuance of violence in Chechnya.