Appeal to Chechen blogger Lomaev continues trend of pressing dissidents via their relatives

The ex-wife of the Chechen blogger, Musa Lomaev, living in Finland, has recorded an insulting video appeal to him not on her own initiative, thus continuing the practice of public insults as a method of influencing dissidents via their relatives living in Chechnya, analysts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the video posted on the Instagram, a woman insulted Lomaev, saying that he did not care about his relatives staying in Chechnya and had no moral right to criticize the republic's authorities.

Alexei Malashenko, the head of scientific studies at the "Civilizations' Dialogue" Institute, has suggested that Lomaev's ex-wife recorded the video under pressure.

Lomaev's statement on the Russian "Dozhd" (Rain) TV Channel and his calls to punish those guilty of torturing people has fuelled the hatred of the blogger's enemies, Mr Malashenko asserts.

"Now, in the eyes of Chechens, Lomaev is a fighter against injustice, but from the viewpoint of his opponents, he must look like a villain," the expert has noted.

Akhmet Yarlykapov, a Caucasian expert, said that Lomaev's ex-wife has recorded the above appeal under an order of third persons, although, most likely, voluntarily. "The woman could have been offended. In Chechnya, everything is done according to the Sharia Law: after a divorce, the children belong to the father's family and, as a rule, remain in his family. This could have affected the woman's decision to insult Lomaev," Mr Yarlykapov has stated.