In Belgium, verdict against Chechens highlights danger of radicalization of diaspora’s members

In Belgium, a court sentenced a native of Chechnya and his wife to long terms of imprisonment for preparing a terror act. At the same time, two other defendants got suspended sentences, and one more defendant was acquitted. The authorities of Belgium and other European countries are fighting religious radicals not effectively enough. They impose radical ideas on members of the Chechen diaspora, and courts pronounce excessively lenient sentences to some of them, analysts from Europe note.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in May 2023, the Belgian prosecutor’s office announced the detention of seven supporters of the “Islamic State”*, suspected of preparing a terror act. Among the suspects were natives of Chechnya. On September 10, it became known that four supporters of the “Islamic State”* were convicted in Bruges. The leader of the grouping Abubakar S., a native of Chechnya, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. He has been recognized as especially dangerous to society.

The statements voiced by the authorities of Chechnya may influence the radicalization of young people abroad. In addition, encouraging of radical Islam by Chechen elders in exile is unacceptable, emphasizes Ibragim Nikarkho, an activist of the Chechen Democratic Party, living in Austria. He suggests there are activists who gained popularity on the topic of “Kadyrov is bad” and then began to talk about the need for Sharia.

The French-Algerian Islamic scholar, journalist and writer Mohammed Sifaoui notes that many ethnic Chechens do not integrate into society because of the language barrier. After the “Islamic State”* had been defeated in Syria and Iraq, the terrorists changed their tactics and targeted, in particular, recruiting young people already living in Europe, as well as in the Caucasus.

*On December 29, 2014, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Russian Federation recognized the organization “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL or IS) as a terrorist international organization and banned its activities in Russia.