A woman from Russia's southern Chechen Republic has appeared on live television to publicly apologize after insulting the region's security forces, the Caucasian Knot news agency reported Thursday.
Maret Zanzulaeva was filmed in the Chechen village of Davydenko calling police employees “bull headed.”
She was brought before Chechen Parliamentary speaker Magomed Daudov on the Grozny television channel on March 29 to formally repent.
"Maret, what you said is unworthy of a Chechen woman. According to our adats (customs), it is shameful to insult another person. Men cannot be compared with bulls" Daudov said.
Zanzulaeva admitted that she was talking about an event “she did not see” and asked for forgiveness. She also denied saying that villagers had been beaten by the local security services. Daudov thanked Zanzulaeva for "accepting his invitation” to meet him, and said that understanding people's problems was a “deputy's duty.”
Police clashed with Davydenko residents on March 26 after locals refused to pay a 75,000 ruble ($1,340) fine for a house which authorities claimed had been built illegally. A skirmish broke out when police officers went to demolish the house, with the security services beating and arresting several people. Residents went on to complain to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, although the politician is yet to comment.
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