10 May 2004 03:25
Son of murdered Chechen leader given senior role
Ramzan Kadyrov, the 27-year-old son of the assassinated president of Chechnya, was on Monday appointed first deputy
head of the region's pro-Moscow administration.
It fuelled speculation that he could be set to take on considerable power in the conflict-torn Russian republic.
The move comes despite widespread accusations from human rights activists that Mr Kadyrov, who formally headed his
father's security service and worked alongside Russian interior and security police, has been involved in torture
and the disappearance of many Chechens over the past few months.
His father, Akhmed Kadyrov, was killed on Sunday in a blast in the capital Grozny, which left at least five other
people dead and more than 60 wounded, including General Valery Baranov, head of Russian troops in Chechnya.
The attack was a heavy blow to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, who had imposed a tough system in Chechnya of
centralised, personalised rule under Kadyrov. The death of such a powerful and domineering figure could lead to a power
vacuum at the top.
The nomination of Kadyrov's son could also provoke more criticism of Russia's handling of the Chechnya
conflict, as it places considerable power in the hands of the de facto leader of one of the largest militias in the
republic. His nomination could trigger infighting between rival groups.
Sergei Abramov, the 32-year-old prime minister who has become temporary Chechen president, justified promoting
Kadyrov's son as a measure to "strengthen the fight against terrorism" and the continuation of the
policies adopted by his father.
The appointment may reflect a mixture of respect for the former president and his family, and a desire not to
destabilise the situation until there is greater certainty about a more permanent handover of power.
However, one Chechen expert yesterday argued that the nomination should not be underestimated, coming the day after
Mr Kadyrov's status was sharply raised when Russian television broadcast extensive pictures of Mr Putin personally
receiving him in the Kremlin for talks and to offer his condolences.
Mr Kadyrov, a thick-set and relatively inarticulate man who runs the government-funded Ramzan Boxing Club in
Gudermes, Chechnya's second city, has raised his profile in recent months.
He met foreign journalists this year, expressing his enthusiasm for fighting rebel leaders and denying any
responsibility for human rights abuses, before watching demonstrations of boxing and wrestling.
While some Russian politicians have called for direct presidential rule from Moscow, officials quoted on local press
agencies indicated yesterday that elections for a new president would take place within four months, which are likely to
delay Chechen parliamentary elections, which have been repeatedly postponed and are now scheduled for October.
Apart from Kadyrov's son, other names circulating yesterday as possible candidates for the presidency included
Aslambek Aslakhanov, Chechnya's former representative in the Russian federal parliament. He initially stood against
Kadyrov when he was elected last October but withdrew at the last minute and accepted instead a job as a Kremlin adviser
on the region.
As thousands attended Kadyrov's funeral in his home town of Tsentoroi, there were condemnations of Sunday's
blast from many foreign leaders, including those of Germany, Japan, the US, the European Commission, the United Nations,
the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations. xref For regional reports,
www.ft.com/europe
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