CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

Funeral Prayers for Aslan Maskhadov Read in Chechen Mosques

By Timur Aliyev

GROZNY, Chechnya. On March 11 condolences for Aslan Maskhadov were read out after the main Friday prayers in many mosques throughout Chechnya.

According to those who attended these prayers, the wording was sometimes directly “for Aslan Maskhadov”, and sometimes allegorical, but phrased in such a way that all those present understood.

It will be recalled that in 1997 Aslan Maskhadov was elected President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. In 1999, after Federal troops were brought to the territory of Chechnya, Russia set up its own administration in Chechnya headed by Akhmat Kadyrov, maintaining that “the nation does not support Aslan Maskhadov.”

Aslan Maskhadov's death was announced on March 8. According to the official version, he was killed in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, but the circumstances of his death still remain obscure.

Mourning rallies in memory of the Ichkerian President will also be held in cities including Vienna, Brussels and Paris.

Translated by David McDuff.

(MD/T)