Not Much Choice

Chechnya leader tells why 'loose' women deserved to die

The Associated Press

GROZNY, Russia – The president of Chechnya emerged from afternoon prayers at the mosque and explained why seven young women who had been shot in the head deserved to die

Ramzan Kadyrov said the women, whose bodies were found dumped by the roadside, had "loose morals" and were rightfully shot by male relatives in honor killings.

"If a woman runs around and if a man runs around with her, both of them are killed," Kadyrov told journalists in the capital of this Russian republic.

The 32-year-old former militia leader is trying to impose Islamic values and strengthen traditional customs in predominantly Muslim Chechnya, aiming to blunt the appeal of hardline Islamic separatists and shore up his power.

Some in Russia say Kadyrov's attempt to create an Islamic society violates the Russian constitution, which guarantees equal rights for women and separation of church and state. But the Kremlin backs him, seeing him as the key to keeping the separatists in check.

Ho Ho Ho

And this is the good guy

Here is the bad guy

Incredibly Ramzan Kadyrov is the good guy as the Kremlin backing him, seeing him as the key to keeping the separatists in check.

The bad guy Akhmed Khalidovich Zakayev is in exile..He was accused by Russian authorities of 13 crimes ranging from armed rebellion and involvement in "murder" of hundreds of troops, to kidnappings of civilians and executions of hostages, to planning terrorist attacks.including involvement in planning the Moscow theater siege.

On December 7, 2002, Zakayev entered Britain and the British authorities arrested him at London Heathrow Airport; he was released on 50,000 GBP bail, which was paid by British actress Vanessa Redgrave,Redgrave also provided with him with housing.

The British movie star is an elderly lady. However, she is not too old not to remember a historical fact: in the late 1990s that small but freedom-loving country did enjoy independence de facto. It was then called Ichkeria. The self-proclaimed republic's president was Aslan Maskhadov and premier Akhmed Zakayev.

So what was going on in Chechnya in those days?

In some estimates, killed were nearly 30,000 people, both Russians and Chechens. According to Sharia court rulings, people were shot dead from machine-guns right in squares, and that is not a propaganda product of Moscow. The shootings were recorded, and the video tapes were many times played on Western television channels, including the BBC.

Taking a profound interest in the Chechnya problem, although at the expense of her own career, Ms Redgrave must have seen those tapes. If not, she can easily arrange to see them.

Why did not he quit his post of premier in protest against the atrocities? Why did not he raise his baritone voice to protect human lives from the wahhabite inquisition? Where was his zeal with which he is discussing political reform in Chechnya today at meetings like those in Copenhagen.

It was the Maskhadov-Zakayev tandem that blessed the Chechen militants to make two major attacks at Daghestan, a Russian Federation republic neighbouring Chechnya. An independent Ichkeria was not their final goal. To seize Daghestan and form the Islamic caliphate was a step towards establishing a larger caliphate

On November 29, 2003, it was announced that he had been granted political asylum in the UK