“In Russia, everyone is equal before the Constitution”: Yashin called on Kadyrov to leave and announced the collection of signatures for his resignation

The Russians began to sign an online petition for the resignation of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. The appeal on the website Change.org was posted by an ally of Boris Nemtsov, who was killed under the walls of the Kremlin, oppositionist Ilya Yashin. He also recorded a video message to Kadyrov, calling him a “padishah” and, in spite of this, reminding him that in Russia everyone is equal before the law.

In the video, Yashin condemns the head of the North Caucasus region due to the fact that the Chechen authorities and law enforcement officers threaten to take the lives of Russian citizens and do it publicly and with the actual absence of the Kremlin’s reaction. In particular, they refer to the statements of Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma deputy from Chechnya, who spoke about “cutting off the heads” of Kadyrov’s critics from the Yangulbaev family.

The politician stood up for Zarema Musaeva, the wife of a retired judge of the Supreme Court Saidi Yangulbaev, who was taken to Grozny and sent under arrest, asking Kadyrov if the leader of Chechnya was “not ashamed” to “fight with women.”

Yashin also accused Kadyrov and his subordinates of involvement in the murder of Nemtsov. “I’m sure you remember well the names of the perpetrators of this murder,” said Ilya, quoted by Znak.com.

Addressing the head of the republic, the oppositionist stated: “Ramzan, all this has gone too far.” According to Yashin, “someone should openly and openly tell” Kadyrov “that you can’t behave like this.”

“In Russia, this is not accepted! We have a Constitution before which everyone is equal. Do you consider yourself bigger than the state? Don’t take on too much?” — warned the author of the appeal.

In a conversation with the publication, Yashin said that he would forward the petition against Kadyrov to the presidential administration (AP). According to the politician, this is necessary so that in the Kremlin, “society and Kadyrov himself see that more and more people are ready to express their dissatisfaction aloud, and not be silent like a rag, as has been customary in recent years.”

Meanwhile, the official representative of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin does not take seriously the appeal for the resignation of the Chechen leader. At the same time, according to Ilya Yashin, the topic of Chechnya and Kadyrov “excites a huge number” of Russians.

From the Kremlin’s point of view, however, in the collection of signatures for an online petition, cheating is possible. “There is an impersonal voting that can be cheated by bots, etc. Well, we treat this accordingly,” Peskov is quoted by TASS.

At the same time, the Presidential Administration, Vladimir Putin’s representative noted, is following Grozny’s reaction to the recent nighttime conversation between the president and Kadyrov. As Peskov explained, “of course, everything that is discussed during the conversations of the heads of regions with the president of Russia is then carefully monitored by various specialized divisions of the presidential administration and other departments.”

Recall that back in 2015, when Nemtsov was shot, Kadyrov responded to Yashin’s criticism of him. “He’s a funny dude,” said the head of Chechnya about a friend of the murdered oppositionist. Ilya Yashin then stated that he “did not see any answer” in this comment of his high-ranking opponent and continued to seek a personal meeting from him. Read more here.

Read about the persecution that the Yangulbaevs are subjected to in Chechnya here, and about the threats of its leader to journalists here.