19 September 2020, 08:49
Caucasian experts treat campaign against Zakaev in Chechnya as politically senseless
The Chechen authorities' attacks on Zakaev would sooner increase his popularity than vice versa, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 16, participants in the gathering in Akhmat-Yurt, the ancestral village of Ramzan Kadyrov, including high-ranking officials and law enforcers, adopted a resolution condemning Akhmed Zakaev, the head of government of the self-proclaimed Ichkeria (banned in Russia by the court) and other critics of the Chechen authorities from among emigrants.
Meetings with the condemnation of Akhmed Zakaev began in Chechnya after he stood up for the humiliated Salman Tepsurkaev. On September 7, in Chechnya, and then beyond the republic, a wide public outcry was provoked by a video in which a naked man, who introduced himself as Salman Tepsurkaev, was sitting on a bottle with explanations that he was doing that as punishment for his cooperation with the opposition "1ADAT" Telegram channel.
Mikhail Roschin, an Orientalist and a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), believes that Zakaev has become an object of criticism not because he personifies a regime, alternative to the Kadyrov's one, but because of his support for Salman Tepsurkaev.
"The only reason here is the criticism of authorities for Tepsurkaev. Zakaev has no such authority to be an alternative to Ramzan Kadyrov's regime," Mr Roschin has stated.
Numerous insults addressed to Zakaev could cause backfire, the Orientalist has suggested.
"It's likely that such insults can increase doubts about the messages of Kadyrov's propaganda and increase sympathy for Zakaev. People can simply think and ask the question: why is Zakaev so often talked about, and always negatively? At least, interest in him is growing," Mr Roschin has concluded.
Ruslan Kutaev, President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, also believes that the series of gatherings is the result of Zakaev's criticism of Chechen authorities because of Tepsurkaev. "Zakaev is no competitor to Ramzan Kadyrov. Therefore, I rule out that these actions are related to the fact that he is Kadyrov's rival, or a threat to him. No; all this is due to the fact that Zakaev had harshly condemned the authorities for the cruel act against this young man," Kutaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Kutaev is sure that public insults against Zakaev are causing negative attitude towards the authorities themselves. "This cannot be welcomed by residents of Chechnya. These insults cause negative feelings towards the people who voice them in this way. It can also lead to the opposite effect and increase sympathy for Zakaev," Mr Kutaev has concluded.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 18, 2020 at 10:26 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Gor Aleksanyan Source: CK correspondent
