Ramzan Kadyrov

Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov is the current dictator of Chechnya, a semi-independent republic within the Russian Federation. He is a full-time autocrat with the rank of lieutenant general and a part-time social media celebrity.Ramzan Kadyrov: brutal tyrant, Instagram star Vox 26 May 2017Notorious Chechen warlord Ramzam Kadyrov rises up the ranks by George Grylls (March 29 2022) The Times. Kadyrov stands accused of doing a number of illegal and unethical things, including violations of human rights.Public Designation of Russian National Ramzan Kadyrov Due to Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights US Department of State 20 July 2020 This doesn't really bother him all that much, though, since he has a private army and the personal backing of Vladimir Putin. Similar to Putin he cultivates a fearsome reputation by projecting his supposedly immense strength, yet physically he is a hilariously unintimidating twerp.Chechen leader threatens foes in bid to gain Putin’s support Associated Press News 10 February 2016
One might think that giving a man state honours, legal protection and almost 60 billion rubles (approx. 800 million US dollars) a year would guarantee his loyalty and subservience - and certainly, Kadyrov tries hard to come across as Putin's biggest fan.Putin’s closest ally – and his biggest liability The Guardian 23 September 2015 The truth, however, is that Ramzan can do pretty much whatever he wants within Chechnya with no interference from Moscow because he has crushed all his rivals, silenced his critics and appointed his family members to all the top administrative positions in Chechnya. He is literally the only game left in town.
 
At any point, for any reason, Kadyrov can start the Third Chechen War whenever he feels like it — so pissing him off is not what the Kremlin wants regardless of how much they personally dislike him. Likewise, Kadyrov knows better than to mess with the Kremlin and piss off Putin, so he obeys direct orders from Putin and his cronies as a useful tool for their interests, otherwise he would've been merked.A threat to national security: An independent expert report by Ilya Yashin Free Russia Foundation February 2016
==Ramzan's many accomplishments==
===Killing democracy===
Ramzan's main qualification to be the leader of Chechnya is being his father's son. He spent the fighting for his country's independence and killing Russians under the leadership of his father, Akhmad.His father Akhmad Kadyrov was, alongside being a militia leader, a respected Muslim mufti. He urged "jihad" against Russia and told his men to kill as many Russians as possible. A few years later, during the , Akhmad and his men decided that fighting for independence wasn't for them anymore and switched to fighting with the Russians, turning on their former allies. Putin rewarded this behavior by putting him in charge of the region.The whole "jihad" thing was swiftly forgotten by both parties. Pragmatic or what? Ramzan's father was in charge until 2004 when he was assassinated by Chechens who were annoyed with him for the whole switching sides thing. Putin, being a big advocate of democracy, immediately brought Ramzan to the Kremlin, whereupon he was anointed as his father's successor.Ramzan Kadyrov: The warrior king of Chechnya The Independent 4 January 2007 He had few alternatives; in Chechnya, family and clan ties are of the utmost importance, meaning that Ramzan received the loyalty of his father's troops and allies the moment Akhmad died.
The law, however, required him to be 30-years old before he could assume the office of President, so he spent the next few years biding his time in a lesser office intimidating all his opponents and pretending he wasn't actually in charge before he officially got the top job in 2007. Since then he has ruled over Chechnya like a king, with no one daring to stand up to him. His power is absolute. Although the Chechen and Russian constitutions set out the basis of the legal framework in which he is supposed to operate, Ramzan does what he wants because there is nobody to tell him he can't. He has established a cult of personality, which he uses to keep his genuine admirers in awe and his detractors in perpetual fear. If his aura of power doesn't get the job done, his soldiers will.“Like Walking a Minefield” - Vicious Crackdown on Critics in Russia’s Chechen Republic Human Rights Watch August 2016
Putin is content with this arrangement because Ramzan keeps the people of Chechnya obedient. The region went from being filled with violent separatists to a constituency where everyone is a Putin fan. Chechnya's voting turnout in elections is around 99%. A staggering 99% of the people vote for Putin's United Russia Party. Seeing as how this is the party of the man who bombed the crap out of Grozny just a few years ago one can probably guess they aren't voting for him because they suddenly really like him.Analysis: Chechnya: How did Putin's party win 99 percent? Reuters 21 December 2011
Kadyrov supports the war in Ukraine, threatening president Zelenskyy and claiming that Russia will forgive him if he calls Putin and negotiates with him to surrender and hand over Ukraine.Putin Ally Makes Ominous Claim About Negotiating with Zelensky Newsweek Feb 15, 2023 at 5:11 AM EST Kadyrov has also stated that Russia should invade Poland next once the mission to annex Ukraine is finished.Top Putin Ally Says He ‘Will Not Hide’ Intention to Invade Poland Anymore The Daily Beast Feb 7 2023
===Oppressing women's rights and freedom of religion===
In theory, Chechnya is subject to Russia's federal laws and should be a secular state. Under Kadyrov's rule, however, sharia law and AdatAdat is the collection of traditional laws and ancient customs used by the people of Chechnya to resolve conflicts and define the norms of social interaction. are just as important as Russian law, and the way in which the country functions is ad hoc and inconsistent.Authoritarian Pluralism: Why Does Kadyrov Promote Customary Law and Sharia in Chechnya PONARS Eurasia 15 April 2019
The promotion of traditional misogynistic values is effectively state policy. Polygamy is encouraged, honour killings are considered normal as are bride kidnappings.In Chechnya, if a man manages to force an unmarried woman into his car and hold her prisoner in his house for a night, she must marry him. (No, this is not RatWiki snark, unfortunately.) While publicly denounced by Kadyrov, these activities are still being carried out (sometimes by the members of his inner circle or his security forces).EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Chechnya - Women, Marriage, Divorce and Child Custody European Asylum Support Office September 2014 Forced marriages are also not unheard of.Chechnya's Kadyrov calls for WhatsApp ban for wives BBC News 19 May 2015 Divorces for women are tricky to get — and even if they do get them, there is a likelihood that lawyers and Muslim clerics employed by the government will start pestering them into remarrying their ex-husbands.Chechen leader Kadyrov presses divorcees to reunite BBC News 24 August 2017
Women are urged to follow Islamic dress codes, and those who refuse are subjected to harassment, verbal abuse, and intimidation (and paintball guns).You Dress According to Their Rules: Enforcement of an Islamic Dress Code for Women in Chechnya Human Rights Watch March 2011 Sale of alcohol is restricted, as is the sale of food during Ramadan.Analysis: Sharia law threatens Moscow control in Muslim Chechnya Reuters 26 August 2010 Islamic history is a compulsory subject in schools and Muslim scholars are specifically brought in to preach to young children about morality and acceptable social behavior.Islam comes to the classroom in Russia's Chechnya Reuters 22 October 2012
===Torturing and falsely imprisoning his citizens===
Torture as a tool of persuasion is widely used by Kadyrov's forces — whether to punish and turn rebel fighters, intimidate people who hold opposing views or just to let the locals know who is in charge. People are arrested without any due process and taken to secret prisons, where a number of techniquesSuch as beatings, suffocation, burning of the skin with hot metal pieces, electrocutions, and psychological pressure (usually threats of rape, execution or the harming of the tortured's family). are used to make prisoners confess to all sorts of crimes (real or imagined — doesn't matter). Upon release from detention, nobody speaks about the things they suffered; those who do are arrested again and tortured twice as hardWidespread Torture in the Chechen Republic: Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper for the 37th Session UN Committee against Torture Human Rights Watch 13 November 2006 or are made to vanish off the face of the earth.Russia torture accuser disappears - rights groups Reuters 6 August 2008
For Kadyrov, all dissent is unacceptable regardless of who criticises him. One can be a random teen posting their thoughts of him on social mediaChechen teen 'tortured' in humiliating video BBC News 10 September 2020 or his former government colleague.Chechnya leader Kadyrov ‘tortures’ and imprisons top aides in new purge The Independent 16 October 2019 Speaking out is met with retribution not just to the critic but to their friends and family as well. This has garnered Kadyrov and his crew a fearsome reputation, to the point where critics all the way over in Siberia can be made to issue groveling public apologies after a few phone calls and some choice threats.Putin loyalist Kadyrov unleashed on Russian 'traitors' BBC News 20 January 2016
===Persecuting homosexuals===
Being a vocal critic or political opponent of Ramzan is not the only thing that can land one in trouble in Chechnya. Being a suspected homosexual can also be grounds for punishment. The country is deeply homophobic but not in a run-of-the-mill, "people get verbally abused a lot" sort of way. In Chechnya, gay men are actively persecuted by the state, arrested, transported to unofficial detention facilities, and tortured. Occasionally the people die in captivity, but the authorities don't actively try to execute them. They prefer to bring the captured men to their families and force them to out themselves in public. In most cases, this results in an honour killing, because the families would rather kill their gay relatives than living with the disgrace that such relatives are seen to bring to them. Why would the police do what the "good" citizens voluntarily do themselves? This behaviour of killing your relatives is actively encouraged by the state.Chechen Authorities Arresting and Killing Gay Men, Russian Paper Says The New York Times 1 April 2017
When questioned about gay concentration camps, Ramzan's responses tend to be a wild mixture of:
* Claiming that it's all a lie and that human rights groups smear him to get funding.Chechnya gay rights activists 'make up nonsense for money' - Kadyrov BBC News 29 January 2018
* Saying that it would be impossible for him to persecute these people, because there are NO gay people in Chechnya.Full Interview: Ramzan Kadyrov the leader of Chechnya - BBC News from the YouTube channel BBC News 23 June 2018
* If Chechen families found out they had gay relatives, they would do their duty by executing them! No need for the government to do anything.Chechen authorities tell parents: 'Kill your gay sons or we will', survivor claims The Independent 4 May 2017
* And, in pure hypothetical speculation, if these non-existent, immoral gay people who have been executed by their clan are still around in Chechnya, they should get the hell out of it and move to Canada, or something.Ramzan Kadyrov says there are no gay men in Chechnya — and if there are any, they should move to Canada The Washignton Post 15 July 2017
In the spring of 2017, as these events were coming to the attention of the wider world, a number of international parties have called on Putin to step in and do something.End abuse and detention of gay men in Chechnya, UN human rights experts tell Russia United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner 13 April 2017Chechnya gay rights: Merkel urges Putin to intervene BBC News 2 May 2017 Predictably, strongly-worded letters from the United Nations and finger wagging from foreign politicians didn't really impress the Russian President (who isn't exactly a bastion of LGBT rights either).Opinion: Vladimir Putin uses homophobia for votes in Russia Deutsche Welle 11 June 2020 The official Russian investigations achieved absolutely nothingRussia: Two years after Chechnya's gay purge victims still seek justice as LGBTI defender receives death threats Amnesty International 1 April 2019 and gay men are still being persecuted by the police and at risk of being killed by their families.Russia: New Anti-Gay Crackdown in Chechnya Human Rights Watch 8 May 2019 The reporter who broke the story about the purges has been violently assaulted by a Chechen mob and the frequent threats to her personal safety have forced her to hide in another country for a while.Russian reporter Milashina, who exposed Chechen gay purge, attacked in Grozny BBC News 7 February 2020 Some of the more fortunate victims have been able to flee the region and have been granted asylum in other countries.Chechen gay men hopeful of finding refuge in five countries BBC News 19 May 2017Canada has quietly granted asylum to LGBT Chechens BBC News 6 September 2017
===Oppressing free speech===
Reporters Without Borders calls Kadyrov a "Predator of Press Freedom", an exclusive classification they reserve only for the most oppressive of rulers.Predator: Ramzan Kadyrov Reporters sans Frontières accessed on the 1 August 2020 He has pretty much succeeded in eradicating independent media within his little kingdom. No news outlet in Chechnya would dare to go against him, seeing as how he pays their bills.Chechnya profile - Media BBC News 23 January 2018 Everyone who sings his praises and platforms his agenda gets rewarded; everyone who does the opposite gets branded as a traitor.Chechen journalists, international journalists – Ramzan Kadyrov has silenced us all The Guardian 10 October 2016
Independent journalists and activists in the region who are brave enough to criticise him are intimidated, have their offices raided by masked menRussian rights group's office raided in Chechnya Reuters 3 June 2015 or are thrown into prison on false charges. "Not praising Ramzan" isn't a crime for which one can be convicted for (yet), so putting weed in people's backpacks and torturing them until they confess to be drug smugglers seems to be the preferred method of getting things done.Russia: Journalist Punished for Chechnya Reporting Human Rights Watch 6 September 2016Russia human rights: Chechnya court jails Memorial activist BBC News 18 March 2019 Even if one manages to steer clear of the official authorities, the environment of hatred and distrust Kadyrov has fostered ensures that local mobs take matters into their own hands and violently confront journalists or activists, whom they view as enemies seeking to destabilize their country.Russia Ingushetia: Journalists and activists 'beaten up' BBC News 9 March 2016Russia: Prominent investigative journalist and lawyer attacked during visit to Chechnya Amnesty International 7 February 2020 Must be nice having law abiding citizens doing the work that usually falls to the police.
Perhaps the most infamous example of this was when Kadyrov threw a fit over a commenter stating "you are not a person, you are satan" during an Instagram livestream and threatened to find and kill whoever made the comment, saying "I'll find you, and we'll see which one of us is Satan" and "I will destroy you" (proving the commenter's point). The commenter was later revealed to be a 15 year old boy, who had his family doxxed by Kadyrov's goons and revealed their place of residence. The boy and his family were forced to issue an apology to Kadyrov and the government, the entire family being visibly distressed. 'I Will Destroy You': Chechen Leader Threatens Kid On Instagram RadioFreeEuropeRadioLiberty May 20, 2021 14:51 GMT
===Magically making his critics die===
It is striking how people who criticise him or his BFF Putin have a nasty habit of getting killed, although Kadyrov himself pleads ignorance of these murders, which just so happen to be carried out by men who have some sort of a connection to him. He has never been arrested, tried, or convicted of any wrongdoing.Chechen exiles are being hunted down. Often, the trail leads back to Russia. The Washington Post 6 July 2020 All these incidents, he claims, are a big smear campaign on his good name.Chechen leader blames foreign spies for slaying his critics Associated Press News 9 July 2020
To name every person he is suspected of having ordered a hit on would be a Herculean task, so here's a selection of the more prominent ones:
*Anna Politkovskaya: An investigative reporter and a certified badass,Her Own Death, Foretold The Washington Post 15 October 2006 Politkovskaya was murdered in her Moscow apartment in October 2006. She visited Chechnya a number of times, writing articles about the human rights abuses that went on there, as well as criticising the regime that carried them out.Duo get life for Anna Politkovskaya murder BBC News 9 June 2014 Five Chechens were sentenced for her murderChechen who arranged Politkovskaya killing dies in prison Associated Press News 13 June 2017 and the case was officially closed, but a number of observers have pointed out that the investigation stank to high hell and the person who hired the hitmen was never identified.Russia marks 10th anniversary of Politkovskaya’s killing Associated Press News 7 October 2016
*Umar Israilov: Israilov was killed in January 2009, gunned down in the streets of Vienna in broad daylight. He fought against Russian and Kremlin-backed Chechen soldiers during the Second Chechen War before being kidnapped by Kadyrov. He claimed Kadyrov personally tortured him and threatened the lives of his relatives, forcing him to become one of his bodyguards. Israilov later fled Chechnya for Europe, where he was granted asylum. His father, who remained in Chechnya, was kidnapped and tortured by Kadyrov's men who wanted to know about his son's whereabouts. The elder Israilov was thrown in prison for ten months and, upon release, he left Chechnya for Norway. In the safety of Europe, both Umar and his father brought their cases to the European Court of Human Rights and gave interviews to news outlets detailing the war crimes carried out by Kadyrov and his soldiers.Slain Exile Detailed Cruelty of the Ruler of Chechnya The New York Times 31 January 2009 The authorities publicly stated that the Chechen men who were convicted of his murder had a connection to Kadyrov and that they suspected him of ordering the attack.Austrian court convicts Chechens over dissident's death BBC News 1 June 2011
*Natalia Estemirova: Abducted and killed in July 2009 in Chechnya, Estemirova was an award-winning human rights activist who has documented the cases of torture, kidnapping, and unlawful killing carried out in the region for about a decade.Russian rights activist kidnapped, found dead Reuters 15 July 2009 She was quite prominent amongst her colleagues, having worked with a number of non-governmental organisations and journalists (including another lady on this list, Anna Politkovskaya).Human rights activist Natalia Estemirova murdered in Russia Amnesty International 16 July 2009 It is widely believed her work in exposing the crimes of Chechen authorities is what prompted her murder. A number of her colleagues were deeply dissatisfied with the way the investigation into her death was carried outKiller of Natalia Estemirova 'on wanted list' BBC News 15 July 2010 - over ten years later still no one has been tried or convicted for her murder.Russia: 10 years since the killing of Chechen human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, no justice in sight Amnesty International 15 July 2019
*Boris Nemtsov: One of the most prominent opposition politicians in Russia and a fearless critic of the Putin administration, Nemtsov was killed in February 2015.Boris Nemtsov: A charismatic figure and fierce critic of Putin BBC News 28 February 2015 He was shot in the back a few times within spitting distance of the Kremlin while walking home with his girlfriend. The five men charged with his murder were all Chechens and the suspected gunman, Zaur Dadayev, was an officer in Kadyrov's security forces. The man who supposedly hired them, Ruslan Mukhudinov, was also associated with the Chechen military. The mysteries of what his motive was or where he got 250,000 dollars from to hire assassins have led people to suspect that he was merely the middleman for the real mastermind of the murder.5 Who Killed Boris Nemtsov, Putin Foe, Sentenced in Russia The New York Times 13 July 2017
*Imran Aliev: Aliev was a Chechen blogger who was an outspoken critic of both Putin and Kadyrov. Aliev is notable and makes this list because he wasn't notable. The man appears to have been a literal nobody, an average person with no political clout, who occasionally took too many painkillers and then went on long tirades about the things that go on in the Caucasus.Outspoken Chechen blogger found murdered in Lille The Guardian 3 February 2020 He was killed in January 2020, found dead in a hotel room in Lille, France with multiple stab wounds in his neck.Chechen opposition blogger stabbed to death in French hotel france24 3 February 2020 The main suspect in the case is believed to have fled to Russia and is suspected to have a connection to Kadyrov.The man suspected of killing an anti-Putin blogger in France fled to Moscow afterwards, and is linked to one of Putin's closest allies, police say Business Insider 17 February 2020
==Oh come on, it can't all be bad... right?==
Why does Putin keep a man like this in power? What possible benefit can be reaped by having a homophobic, sadistic, and ruthless Muslim dictator control a section of one's country? The reason, one might think, is that he does some useful things and that these useful things outweigh all the bad stuff he gets up to. Putin turns a blind eye to the excesses of his friend for two main reasons.
===Defeating the extremists (sorta, kinda, not really)===
Kadyrov keeps the other extremists in check. Ever since he and his father defected to the Russian side during the Second Chechen War, Putin has relied on his local allies to keep the populace under control. The region is a breeding ground for anti-Russian, Islamist extremists,Chaim Shinar. Chechens: Freedom Fighters or Terrorists? European Review (Volume 27 Issue 1), Cambridge University Press. 16 October 2018Apparently if you spend a century and a half treating an entire nation of people as if they were dogs, they end up not liking you very much. They might even arm themselves, and push back every once in a while. Shocking! who are a threat to Russian national security (and Ramzan would know exactly how dangerous jihadists are, because he used to be one!) By having an all-powerful local ruler knock heads together Putin can sleep soundly at night, knowing that the strings are being pulled by a man who is loyal to him. Ramzan is certainly evil, but he is the lesser of two evils. If he were to disappear tomorrow Chechnya would rip itself apart.Julie Wilhelmsen. Inside Russia's Imperial Relations: The Social Constitution of Putin-Kadyrov Patronage. Slavic Review (Volume 77 Issue 4), Cambridge University Press. 12 February 2019
Kadyrov is quick to point out that thanks to his severe methods all strains of violent Islam have been purged from Chechnya and that the Islamic State have been eradicated there. His claims of having single-handedly bullied the region into peace don't really stand up to scrutiny, however; terrorist attacks still frequently happen on his doorstepFive killed in suicide bombing in Chechen capital BBC News 5 October 2014Russian police shoot dead seven militants in Chechnya Reuters 18 December 2016Islamic State claims responsibility for church attack in Chechnya Reuters 20 May 2018IS claims responsibility for deadly attack in Chechnya Associated Press News 21 August 2018Chechen official says only bomber dies in checkpoint attack Associated Press News 17 November 2018 and hundreds of young Chechens are driven to radical Islam by the societal factors that Ramzan has directly created.Chechnya: Islamic State's fertile Russian recruiting ground Deutsche Welle 25 January 2018
Still, it's undeniable that he has been mostly successful in pacifying Chechnya. Putin's worst nightmare was the country leaving Russia and becoming an independent, Islamic state, filled with armed men who do horrible things to Russians in the name of religion. This did not come to pass. Instead, it's a semi-Islamic state within Russia, filled with armed men who do horrible things to Chechens in the name of religion.Is Chechnya facing wave of jihadist violence? BBC News 19 December 2014 Quite the improvement.
===Rebuilding Chechnya===
For the average Chechen citizen who has lived through the horrific suffering inflicted by the two Chechen wars, the current status quo is a definite improvement. Although Ramzan harps on about the greatness of Putin and Russia whenever he can, he has functionally created an independent Chechen state, something that years of war couldn't accomplish. It is widely known by the locals that Moscow doesn't pull the strings in their country.Chechen leader tells security forces to shoot if Russian police intrude Reuters 23 April 2015 Chechnya has its own President, its own constitution, its own soldiers to protect its interests. Putin has even handed control of the state's oil reserves back to Kadyrov.Christmas in Grozny Politico 17 January 2016 The city of Grozny, reduced to piles of concrete during the wars, is completely unrecognizable from what it was like just a few years ago, boasting modern amenities and high quality infrastructure - all of it paid for by the Russians who had razed her to the ground.Kadyrov's Chechnya rises from the ashes, but at what cost? BBC News 18 September 2012
There is a genuine sense of progress on the streets — but beneath the façade of skyscrapers and epic sports stadia, there is also a sense of fear and intimidation. A lot of the aforementioned amenities serve the purpose of furthering Ramzan's cult of personality: stadia, mosques, streets, and the local sports teams are often named after him, his father, or his superior Putin. One can barely go down to the local shop without being greeted by massive Orwellian posters of Ramzan's smiling face, or even worse, one of his armed lackeys. The country might be back on it's feet, but every revamped square meter of it is another chance for the regime to remind the people who is in charge and every armed patrol a reminder of what happens to those who don't conform.Chechnya's Pro-Moscow President Rebuilds Nation NPR 13 November 2007 As a result, some minority groups such as the Ingush have been demonized by Kadyrov and his administration as enemies of the state.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/2/racist-federation-russias-minorities-complain-of-racism
File:Grozny,_Russia,_Grozny_Towers_at_night.jpg|"Ramzan is the best" Towers . Not too bad for a place the UN once called " the most destroyed city on earth."
File:Achmat-Kadyrow-Mosche,_Grosny_2008.jpg|The (paid for by the Russian taxpayer) is capable of accommodating thousands of worshipers and sits on a 14 acre site — making it almost as big as the ego of the person who commissioned it.
==See also==
*Vladimir Putin - his boss and superior.
*Chechnya
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Authoritarianism
Category:Conservative deceit
Category:Crimes against humanity
Category:Dictators
Category:Fascists
Category:Genocide
Category:Homophobes
Category:Islamic fundamentalism
Category:Living people
Category:Machismo
Category:Muslims
Category:Russian politicians
Category:Sexists
Category:Shysters
Category:Transphobes
Category:Totalitarianism
Category:Islamic extremism
Category:Racists
Category:Vatniks
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