Was there an order from the leader of Chechnya, a republic in southwestern Russia, to arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine? No, that's not true: Ramzan Kadyrov issued directives to apprehend and detain individuals involved in unauthorized riots. Regarding Palestine, he advocated for collective prayer.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by @nata__789__ on October 31, 2023. The text on the video (translated from Russian to English by Lead Stories staff) read:
Kadyrov instructed Sharip Delimkhanov, head of the Rosgvardia in Chechnya,
and Aslan Iraskhanov, head of the Interior Ministry,
to imprison anyone who comes out in support of Palestine,
and if they resist even a little, to shoot them, to kill then.I support the decision of Ramzan Akhmatovich.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Nov 17 12:25:58 2023 UTC)
On the evening of October 29, 2023, a crowd forcibly entered the international airport in Makhachkala, Dagestan, following the arrival of a flight from Israel amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The crowd managed to breach the tarmac area of the runway. The Investigative Committee for Dagestan opened a criminal case, categorizing the incidents as mass riots. Subsequently, the airport was temporarily shut down and resumed operations on October 30, 2023 at 2 p.m. Moscow time.
The leader of the Chechen Republic, east of Dagestan, urged Chechen security forces to intervene and quell any large-scale riots that might erupt within Chechnya. During a government meeting on October 30, 2023, Kadyrov conveyed this directive to the representatives of the Interior Ministry and Rosgvardia (Russian National Guard):
If we have even one person who goes out on a riot without permission, detain him and imprison him. Or shoot three warning bullets into the air, and then, if the person does not comply with the law, shoot him in the forehead. No more will come out. This is my order.
While the TikTok video included a snippet from this meeting, the Chechen leader did not advocate for jailing those marching or expressing support for Palestine. On October 17, 2023, Kadyrov expressed support for Palestine by calling for collective prayer.
