(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Christmas Eve 2015, Chechnya's dictator Ramzan Kadyrov went out on state television with the following message to Chechens who are considering demonstrating against the regime: "No one gets away. Whether you have to be in Europe, Germany or the United States, you will not escape, and no one has so far escaped. ”In another speech shortly thereafter, he stated that he had given orders to find out if protesters abroad had relatives. in Chechnya. The reason for that is, as the dictator said: "Brother must be responsible for brother."
Despite the threats. Saturday 2. January happened something that has not happened in a long time in Norway. A group of protesters from mainly Chechnya gathered in front of the Parliament, later also the Russian embassy, and defied the direct threats of dictator Kadyrov. One of the protesters, Mikael, who does not want to come up with last names in fear of reprisals against the family, says:
"The Putin-backed dictatorship in Chechnya is killing, abusing and torturing people every day, and lately it has gotten even worse. Women and girls are also exposed. They are pushing very hard so that people should not speak or protest against the dictatorship that is in Chechnya now. But we are here now to say and do something and support the people of Chechnya. We are here to say that we will strike back with words and talk about what is happening and that they cannot stop us, ”says Mikael, who is originally from Chechnya. The protesters also included representatives from Azerbaijan, Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars.
"The Putin-backed dictatorship in Chechnya is killing, abusing and torturing people every day, and lately it has gotten even worse."
Appreciate media coverage. Protester Mikael says that the exile community in Norway is motivated by the Norwegian media writing about Chechnya. "We greatly appreciate that Ny Tid has written and revealed what has happened – and is happening – in Chechnya. The article was picked up by many other newspapers and received a lot of attention in the Norwegian media. This makes us feel that we are seen and heard. It is a great support and gives us motivation, because we feel that people in Norway and elsewhere in the world see us, "says Mikael.
The Chechen lawyer Akhmed Gisaev is a board member of the Chechen diaspora organization in Norway, and also works for the Human Rights Analysis Center. He also participated in the demonstration. Regarding the reactions among Chechens in Norway after the Ny Tid case about the two rejected asylum seekers, he says this: "The Chechen community had not expected this from the UDI or UNE. After these two cases, the Chechen community unfortunately has less confidence in the Norwegian government. They fear that the Norwegian authorities will cooperate with the Russian state and their secret services, "says lawyer Gisaev.
Around 10 people from Chechnya live in Norway. A major reason why very few of them have protested publicly is that they are exposed to refugee espionage by people from the regime, and that the dictatorship attacks the family in their home country. There are several Chechen oppositions living with police protection in Norway.
Hanging people out in public. Ramzan Kadyrov has long presented people he wants to punish on television and force him to make public and often fabricated concessions and apologies. Recently, social worker Ayshat Inayeva was hanged on public television after she complained that Kadyrov did not crack down on corruption. Inayeva's boss had cut $ 42 a month from her salary, which she protested against. She was forced to take back everything she had said and apologize face to face to Kadyrov on national television. Lawyer and human rights activist Gisaev comments on recent developments in Chechnya: "People are shown on television as an example of what you get if you dare to criticize, even if it is just a little criticism. This means that they are trying to terrorize the entire Chechen people. On the basis of this, Chechens have demonstrated in Austria, Norway and other countries, he says. The Chechen exile community in Norway is planning several demonstrations at the end of January.
