A resident of Urus-Martan was publicly condemned for occultism.

The chief specialist of the Islamic Medicine Center, Adam Elzhurkaev, publicly reprimanded a resident of Chechnya who was detained by security forces for providing occult services, according to a report by the state television channel "Grozny".

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the state television company "Grozny" regularly publishes reports about conversations between the head of the Islamic Medicine Center, Adam Elzhurkaev, and local residents accused of engaging in occultism. For instance, on July 12, the channel reported on the detention of an elderly woman from Grozny for witchcraft.

A local resident was detained in Urus-Martan, accused of witchcraft, reported the Instagram*-public chp.grozny_95 on July 20. The post included a video with the emblems of the Chechen State Television and Radio Company "Grozny", showing an elderly woman and the head of the Islamic Medicine Center, Adam Elzhurkaev. A man in military uniform was also present in the room.

On the table, there were many photographs, and the resident of Urus-Martan was explaining to Elzhurkaev. "It's scary to even be in this room, everything is soaked in witchcraft," noted the correspondent of the channel off-camera.

This post in the Instagram*-public chp.grozny_95, which has about one million followers, had received 437 likes and 461 comments by 12:30 MSK on July 21. Some commenters demanded punishment for the resident of Urus-Martan for witchcraft. Others called for holding accountable those who sought her occult services.

It should be noted that for many years, there has been a campaign in Chechnya to persecute people who declare themselves healers, psychics, magicians, and witches. It was initially announced by the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, in 2013, then the campaign subsided, but in 2019, the persecution of residents for occultism intensified again .

The popularity of healers and fortune-tellers in Chechnya is attributed to the residents' distrust of official medicine and the need for psychological support in the context of the harsh policies of the authorities, explained analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" on July 15. In their opinion, the public persecution of occultists in the republic does not eliminate the demand for their services but only contributes to an increase in interest in them.