Kadyrov nephew goes unpunished after fatal car crash in Chechen capital

A nephew of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, has avoided punishment after causing a fatal car crash in which two people died, the Memorial Human Rights Centre reported on Monday.

Yasin Zakriev, chair of the Chechen Accounts Chamber, struck a Lada Priora carrying a married couple and their two children in the republic’s capital, Grozny, on 20 July. Chechen opposition Telegram channel NIYSO said that “Zakriev was racing at high speed”. The Lada Priora crashed into a pole, killing the parents and seriously injuring the children, though Zakriev emerged from the crash unscathed.

The funeral for the unnamed victims of the crash was held the following day, during which the authorities ordered the two families to undertake “reconciliatory measures” there and then. The family of the victims publicly forgave Zakriev, thereby freeing him from the risk of a potential blood feud.

The incident was not covered by any Chechen media or investigated by law enforcement agencies and Zakriev has suffered no repercussions as a result of the crash.

“Though Yasin Zakriev was most likely not intoxicated ... this does not take away from the fact that he committed a gross violation of traffic rules,” Memorial quoted a legal expert as saying, citing the case as a flagrant example of double standards in Chechnya, whereby the law is not applied to those with connections to the republic’s leadership.