Chechnya - Austria

1. Chechnya

2. SOME FACTS
• autonomous republic in the North Caucasus
(Russia)
• 1.3 million inhabitants
• Capital: Grozny
• head of state: Ramsan Kadyrov

4. Population
• Chechens make up the majority (95%)
• minorities: -Russians (2%)
-Ingushes
-Armenians
-Ukrainians
• ethnic tensions between Russians and
Chechens because of the wars

5. Healthcare and education
• Hospitals only in Grozny, lack of qualified
medical staff
• many destroyed schools (Chechen wars), lack
of professional teachers -> low level of
education, school buildings have to be rebuilt

6. Religion and culture
• Islam is the most important religion in
Chechnya, practised by 95%
 Sunni belief, Sufism (mystical form of Islam)
• In general: clan-relationships and
brotherhoods influence everyday life

7. Languages
• Use of Caucasian alphabet
• Languages in use: Russian and Chechen
• Chechen belongs to the North-central
Caucasian language family

8. The Caucasian Alphabet

9. Political situation
• Since 1990, the Chechen Republic has had many legal,
military, and civil conflicts with Russians
• Today, Chechnya is a relatively stable federal republic,
although there is still some separatist movement
activity.
• 2007: Ramsan Kadyrov becomes head of the republic
• money and violence rule the country
• high level of corruption
• violations of human rights  rebels are persecuted
and their relatives are threatened

10. Ramsan Kadyrov

11. History of wars
• 200 years of conflict between Russia and
Chechnya
• 1817 Caucasus War
• 1918 Russian Civil War
• 1949 Uprising of Chechnya against Russia
• 1994 1. Chechen War
• 1999 2. Chechen War

12. After the war
• capital Grozny destroyed
• President Kadyrow rules by force
• human rights violations, torture, murder
• number of Chechen seeking asylum in
European countries has increased

13. Chechens in Austria
• About 30,000, most of them in Vienna
• live isolated among their own countrymen
• marriage within the people
• not a good reputation: many crimes, involved
in organized crime, violent youth groups
• reasons: young people grew up in war  no
fathers, no education, used to violence
• high national pride

14. Human rights
• Human rights violations: suppression, spread
of fear, kidnapping, punishment and torture
by state security forces, honour killing,
persecution of homosexuals
• attacks on advocats of human rights:
 lawyers
 journalists
 charities