Kadyrov's spokesman files request to open criminal case against Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin
Alvi Karimov, spokesman for Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov, has filed a request to open a criminal case against Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin, who recently published a report criticizing the leader of Chechnya.
The request was filed with the Russian Investigative Committee and Prosecutor General, Interfax reported.
Karimov said that the report written by PARNAS’ Deputy Chairman Ilya Yashin was done in a “provocative and aggressive manner” directed against Kadyrov and the people of Chechnya.
According to the spokesman, the report contains “slander, insults, and baseless accusations”.
As Interfax reported, Karimov stated that Yashin’s words incite national and religious hated.
Yashin’s reports, “A Threat to National Security”, accused Kadyrov of creating an army of 30,000 in the autonomous republic that answers solely to him. He also accused Kadyrov of involvement in the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, as well as the killing of Chechen rebels Ruslam and Salim Yamadayev and journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
Yashin responded to Karimov’s actions, writing on Facebook that “this is not the first time he has tried to use law enforcement agencies as a lever to apply pressure on his opponents. The criminal case is an attempt to shut my mouth.”
The opposition leader added that the main goal of the Chechen authorities is to stop the dissemination of the report.
President Putin allows Kadyrov to control the predominantly Islamic region in the northern Caucasus in exchange for absolute loyalty. The head of the war-torn region has come under heavy criticism from the international press due to allegations of widespread corruption and human rights violations.