Yunusov's departure to the SVO after beating women has raised doubts among human rights activists.
Publicity about the beating of women and demands for punishment on social media led to the departure of former Akhmat fighter Jihad Yunusov to the special military unit. However, the very transfer to the special military unit may be a sham, as people from Kadyrov's inner circle typically avoid punishment in such cases, human rights activists noted.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on May 16, police reported an investigation into the beating of two women in Grozny – "citizens Lorsanova and Dagayeva." The Republican Fighting Club "Akhmat" announced that mixed martial artist Jihad Yunusov has been expelled from the club for violence against these women. Expulsion from the Akhmat Fighting Club is not enough to punish Yunusov. According to judicial practice, those charged with assault in Chechnya face only monetary fines. Two weeks after the conflict became known, Yunusov announced that he was being sent to the SVO zone.
The conflict was sparked by the installation of a video camera near the woman's apartment – Yunusov didn't like that the camera's view also included his door. Footage recorded by this camera on May 13 shows the elderly woman walking into the hallway, followed by Yunusov, holding a drink, and another man. The conversation between Yunusov and the woman escalated, after which the fighter removed the lid from the cup he was holding, splashed the drink in the woman's face, and then threw the cup at her, striking her with the apartment door. The second man tried to pull him away, but the fighter broke free and, running up to the woman, struck her several times. He also struck the second woman, who ran out of the apartment at the victim's screams.
Yunusov is a member of the Chechen authorities' inner circle
Chechen activist Islam Belokiev* stated that the widespread publicity undoubtedly influenced the development of this story.
"It was the widespread public outrage and the widespread distribution of the video that forced the Russian authorities in Chechnya to respond." They were forced to react, despite the fact that Jihad Yunusov is a member of their informal circle, a man who enjoyed and continues to enjoy their respect, connections, and patronage," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Everything that is happening today against Jihad Yunusov is exemplary. This does not mean that he will face severe punishment.
According to the activist, photographs with Ramzan Kadyrov or Vismuradov alone do not guarantee safety or immunity—many others have such photographs.
"What makes Jihad Yunusov's case unique is not the existence of such photographs, but the fact that he is essentially part of the informal circle of the Russian authorities in Chechnya and is perceived as one of their own. But there is another side to this situation. Everything happening today against Jihad Yunusov is exemplary. This doesn't mean he will face harsh punishment. On the contrary, there is every reason to believe that the system is protecting its people. A very similar situation occurred with former Grozny Mayor Islam Kadyrov. When videos of him torturing people, torturing them with electric shocks, beating them, insulting them, and threatening to fabricate criminal cases became public knowledge, the public reacted extremely harshly. Then, the authorities were also forced to stage a showpiece response: reports appeared about inspections and procedural actions, creating the appearance of law enforcement working. But ultimately, Islam Kadyrov did not receive any proportionate punishment," the speaker noted.
In 2019, the Grozny TV channel published excerpts from a video showing Grozny Mayor Islam Kadyrov threatening citizens with violence and using a taser on a woman. Islam Kadyrov later apologized for the abuse of Grozny residents, explaining his actions as the result of severe injuries. YouTube, at the request of Chechen TV, removed the Caucasian Knot report "How Apologies Are Extracted in Chechnya," however Caucasian Knot used footage from the Chechen State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (CGTRK) showing Islam Kadyrov and other officials humiliating and intimidating local residents in its report "Censorship and Torture as Behind-the-Scenes Apologies in Chechnya." Belokiev* believes the same is happening with Jihad Yunusov. "The story of his alleged transfer to Ukraine also appears to be part of this spectacle. After reports of this 'punishment,' Yunusov showed neither remorse nor fear on his social media. On the contrary, he spoke arrogantly, making it clear he had more to show everyone. This is not the behavior of a man punished by the authorities and going to atone for his guilt with blood. "The authorities in Chechnya took this step because they were faced with widespread public discontent," he explained.
Thousands of people in the comments wrote: if others are demonstratively sent to Ukraine for far less serious offenses, then why shouldn't the same be done to the authorities' favorite, who publicly beat two women? However, the source doubts that Yunusov will end up in dangerous areas.
"Therefore, the authorities were forced to show that the same measures were supposedly being applied to him. But there are serious grounds to believe that this is purely a demonstration to calm public opinion. Even if Yunusov does go somewhere, it's unlikely he will find himself in a situation where his life is at real risk. "Rather, the safest possible conditions will be created for him, since the system, as practice shows, prefers to protect its people rather than subject them to real responsibility," Belokiev* believes.
According to him, the Chechen authorities' statements that Chechen women are protected, that their honor is paramount, and that people are willing to die for them, appear blasphemous and shameless against the backdrop of what is happening.
"Akhmed Dudayev, Adam Delimkhanov, Ramzan Kadyrov, and many other government officials have repeatedly stated that women in Chechnya are under special protection. However, the authorities' actual actions often paint a completely different picture. One of the most striking examples is the case of Zarema Musayeva. She was effectively kidnapped from her apartment in another region of Russia, barefoot, in her home clothes, without the opportunity to pack properly, and taken to Chechnya with the assistance of local law enforcement. Then, criminal cases were fabricated against her, and she is imprisoned solely because her sons are critics of the Russian authorities in Chechnya. No one has been held accountable for her forced removal or for what is happening to her," he emphasized.
Ramzan Kadyrov accused the Yangulbayev family of organizing a terrorist network and stated that their place awaits them "in prison or underground." You can read about Kadyrov's conflict with the Yangulbayevs in the "Caucasian Knot" reports "How the Yangulbayevs Became Kadyrov's Enemies" and "The Main Points of Kadyrov's Fight Against the Yangulbayevs".
He recalled that former Grozny Mayor Islam Kadyrov was also not punished for torture. "One can also recall the beating of journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov. "To this day, those responsible have not been officially identified or punished, although Russian authorities simultaneously continue to claim that Chechnya is the safest region in the world," Belokiev said*.
However, a completely different approach is evident when it comes to women from Ramzan Kadyrov's entourage and high-ranking officials.
"And no one beat these women. It's enough that someone, somewhere, insulted them or mentioned them unflatteringly. The murder of Mamikhan Umarov, better known as Anzor from Vienna, after his offensive remarks about the Kadyrov family, and the case of Salman Tepsurkayev, who was brutally humiliated and then, according to human rights activists, killed for insulting the mother of State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov—these are only the most well-known incidents. "There are significantly more such cases," he noted.
Salman Tepsurkaev, a moderator of a Telegram channel opposed to the Chechen authorities, was impaled on a bottle on video. Tepsurkaev stated in the video that he was punished for "writing [offensive] poems about other people's mothers and sisters, and saying they were prostitutes." According to human rights activists, he was subsequently killed. More details about Tepsurkaev's experience are available in a reference material prepared by the "Caucasian Knot" .
The problem is that this defense, as practice shows, is selective. "When it comes to women connected to the government and its entourage, the reaction is extremely harsh. But when ordinary women, not connected to the ruling elite, become victims, they find themselves without the same protection and without the same state commitment to seeking justice,” Belokiev also explained.
Beating women is considered a dishonorable act
From the perspective of Chechen adat, beating a woman by a man is traditionally viewed as a serious offense.
“Not simply as a misdemeanor or a crime, but as a dishonorable act that provokes severe public condemnation. This attitude is instilled in the family, during the upbringing of children. In Chechen tradition, it is considered absolutely unacceptable for a man—a father, grandfather, or uncle—to raise his hand against a girl. While corporal punishment in the form of a slap or a slap on the back of the head may still be tolerated in some families for boys, in the case of girls, it is perceived as something absolutely unacceptable. And this applies to daughters, not to mention other people's women. Of course, domestic violence has existed and continues to exist, including within families. But such cases have always been harshly condemned by society. And touching another woman, let alone beating her, is traditionally perceived not just as a private conflict, but as an act that affects public honor and norms of behavior," Belokiev* said.
Both Chechen adat and Islam strongly condemn a man's attack on a woman and consider such behavior unworthy and shameful.
According to the adat system, in the past, such actions could lead to a very harsh informal reaction not only from the victim's relatives, but also from people who were not related to her at all, but the norms of Islam, in contrast to adat, reject lynching.
"This could lead to public "The practice of humiliating the perpetrator, physically punishing them, forcing them to apologize, and various forms of symbolic shaming. Stories of cases in which the offender was beaten, had his pants removed, and was publicly humiliated do indeed appear in oral testimonies and regional folklore. For example, in a blood feud, one man would be killed for a murdered man, and two men for a woman. However, it should be noted that such stories are difficult to document, and it would be incorrect to regard them as a legally enshrined or mandatory norm. Moreover, such forms of lynching are prohibited by Islam. Generally, Chechen adat and Islamic religious norms may diverge on a number of issues, and the practice of lynching applies precisely to such cases. But despite all the differences between adat and religious law, one common principle exists: both Chechen adat and Islam strongly condemn attacks by a man on a woman and view such behavior as unworthy and shameful," he pointed out. Belokiev*.
He knows nothing about any family connection between the women victims and Chechen Health Minister Suleiman Lorsanov, the head of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs' Internal Security Directorate, Sharpudi Lorsanov, or the singer Elina Dagayeva.
"Furthermore, if it had truly turned out that the beaten women were close relatives of high-ranking officials or security forces in Chechnya, then, in my opinion, Jihad Yunusov would hardly have gotten off with what we are seeing now. Most likely, the consequences for him would have been much more serious, and there would no longer be the spectacle being played out today around his demonstrative expulsion from the club and reports of his alleged deportation to Ukraine. As for the coincidence of surnames, many surnames are quite common in Chechnya, and the mere fact of sharing a surname doesn't mean anything," he also noted. Belokiev*.
Furthermore, in his opinion, the idea of Chechen society as a continuous tribal system is today largely exaggerated.
“Teip and family identity retain cultural significance, but the feeling of kinship is usually limited to a circle of close and well-known relatives. The mere presence of a common surname in most cases does not mean the presence of close social ties, mutual obligations, or any special relationship between people. Therefore, without specific confirmation, I have no reason to talk about any relationship between Lorsanova or Dagayeva and famous representatives of these families,” Belokiev* concluded.
Human rights activists pointed to the role of publicity in Yunusov’s punishment
Chairperson of the Civic Assistance Committee* Svetlana Gannushkina* believes that widespread publicity influenced The course of the decision made regarding Yunusov.
"I think this led to this. And it's possible that he was too well-known. And there shouldn't be many well-known people, and not that well-known. There should be only one truly well-known person," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
According to the human rights activist, this kind of incident is not unique.
"It's just that not all of them are well-known. I think the culprit was punished by being sent to the SVO, perhaps also because there aren't enough "fighters" and they're using everything possible to send him there. "For this, in particular, Ramzan Akhmatovich receives complete carte blanche to do whatever he pleases in his republic," Gannushkina* believes.
Another human rights activist familiar with the situation in Chechnya also believes that the publicity undoubtedly influenced the decision regarding Yunusov.
"If there hadn't been such a stir, this case would have remained in the shadows," he noted.
If he was sent there to reassure the public, he will return safe and sound. If they really wanted to punish him, then they'll send him straight to the front lines.
The human rights activist can't yet claim that Yunusov "got off easy."
"He was sent to Ukraine, not convicted. Perhaps he'll sit it out somewhere safe. I think we'll find out soon. If they sent him there to reassure the public, then he'll return safe and sound. If they really wanted to punish him, then they'll send him straight to the front lines," the human rights activist explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
In his opinion, such cases only go unpunished if they're committed by Kadyrov's cronies.
"We've seen examples. Generally, this rarely happens in Chechnya, but if it does, they really can take their pants off," the human rights activist noted.
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