MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) — Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov denied having preared “hit lists” of his critics during a BBC interview on Monday.
“The person who makes this claim is schizophrenic,” he said. “I swear to Allah, that idea would never come to my mind.”
Kadyrov, who rose to power in the republic in 2007, shortly after the 2004 assassination of his father Akhmad, who was also head of the republic, has been accused of restoring what he says is law and order in the republic through human rights abuse and a regime of fear.
Critics have accused the leader of involvement in a string of high-profile killings in recent years, including those of human rights worker Natalia Estemirova and journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
Kadyrov has consistently denied any role in the murders, and claims instead that his critics are attempting to smear him.
“They are prepared to do anything to blacken Kadyrov’s name,” he said in the BBC interview, “and tell the world that Kadyrov is a bad person.”
Chechnya fought two bloody wars with federal forces throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The Kadyrovs initially fought on the rebel side but later turned their allegiances to Moscow and crushed the separatist forces fighting against Russian rule.