Salah meeting with Kadyrov sparks uproar
grozny — Mohammed Salah was relaxing in his hotel room in Grozny when he was informed an important guest dropped in unexpectedly and was waiting for him in the lobby.
When the Egypt star forward went down, he found Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
The Moscow-backed former rebel had a favour to ask of Salah: Could he accompany him for the short drive to the stadium where the rest of Egypt’s World Cup squad was training and several thousand local fans were in attendance?
Salah obliged, and the two showed up at the stadium named after Kadyrov’s assassinated father to a standing ovation and loud cheers by the fans. Salah wore a white Egypt jersey, and his host was in a green-andwhite tracksuit.
The Sunday evening episode sparked uproar on social media in Egypt given the poor human rights record of the leader of Chechnya, and what was perceived as Kadyrov’s use of Salah to score a public relations boon.
Additionally, the episode may be well remembered for a long time as a textbook PR blunder on the part of the Egyptians.
“This is Kadyrov trying to capitalise on Chechnya being a team base to boost his own profile ... it was 100 per cent predictable,” said Rachel Denber, the Human Rights Watch deputy director for Europe and central Asia. “He revels in the spotlight.
This is Kadyrov trying to capitalise on Chechnya being a team base to boost his own profile Rachel Denber, HRW official
He also has a ruthless grip on Chechnya. He has sought to obliterate any kind of political advocacy or human rights work.”
Kadyrov, who sports the hallmark beard of the ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis, is a former rebel who switched his loyalties to Moscow. He has been the dominant figure in Chechnya since the 2004 assassination of his father, President Akhmad Kadyrov.
He has enforced strict Islamic rules in Chechnya, relying on his feared security forces to stifle any dissent. Moreover, his rule has been marred by numerous reports of extrajudicial killings and torture in the republic which saw two devastating separatist wars in the 1990s.
Recently, Kadyrov came under pressure when reports surfaced of a broad crackdown on gays in his region. He insists, however, there are no gay people in the region. While Kadyrov likely bolstered his standing among supporters by appearing with Salah, the latter may have diminished his as a kind of ambassador of moderate Islam. —