Chechen Parliament Threatens Kasparov

Dukvakh Abdurakhmanov, the head of the People’s Assembly of the Chechen parliament, put his true colors and those of his government on display yesterday. He was reacting to an speech in which Other Russia leader Garry Kasparov referred to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov as a bandit. Abdurakhmanov first talked of a libel suit against Kasparov, but then continued,

“Kasparov must be in jail. If we are not satisfied by the punishment of federal law we will take other measures. In the Caucasus we have our own laws and Kasparov will be punished.”

A remarkable statement from a lawmaker, that he will ignore federal law, but not all that remarkable in Putin’s Russia or Kadyrov’s Chechnya. Considering the fate many of Kadyrov’s critics have suffered, this cannot be considered an idle boast. Kasparov has written the Attorney General’s office to protest this threat and to request protection. Kasparov responded with these comments:

I repeat that the man who claimed he killed his first Russian soldier at the age of 15 is a bandit. I welcome any court proceedings. There are many who would appreciate the opportunity to discuss Mr. Kadyrov’s activities in a public forum. If this case draws more attention to the cruelty of his regime and the massacres in Chechnya it will be a satisfactory result.