Rights defenders associate radicalization of Chechen youth with law enforcers' pressure

Law enforcers' pressure on teenagers in Chechnya causes discontent among local residents and creates conditions for a new wave of armed underground, human rights defenders Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya and Valery Borschov have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 22, after a series of teenagers' attacks on law enforcers, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, laid on parents "personal responsibility for their children's actions." Residents of the Shali District of Chechnya told that law enforcers detained from 150 to 200 teenagers and released them after interrogations late at night.

The law enforcers' tough actions can lead to even greater radicalization of youth, said Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, Director of the Centre for Conflict Analysis and Prevention.

"Fears that after the incidents detentions will be held have confirmed, but I had hoped that this time different approaches will be applied; however, the authorities are using their old methods," Ms Sokiryanskaya told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her story, detentions will continue. "I don't rule out that they will intimidate both teenagers and their parents, who, after coming home, can take repressive actions against their children. This is exactly what radicals need. Pressure on unformed psyche, coupled with the efficient treatment by radicals, can give a push to a new wave of armed underground," said Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya.

Mass detentions of teenagers will not bring any essential results to law enforcers, Valery Borschov, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG), believes. "Law enforcers' actions have no goal to fight the IS*. Law enforcers are trying to frighten everyone; this is the most primitive and unprofessional way to influence teens. They will not be able to identify those, with whom they should work. Law enforcers have chosen the easiest way," Mr Borschov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He suggested that law enforcers' actions can provoke protests. "There's no doubt that detentions will trigger discontent of both parents and children. It is still unclear what form it will take, but it'll be nothing good out of it. In the best case, there will be a secret discontent," Valery Borschov has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 29, 2018 at 06:57 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.