Her resplendent white dress says it's her wedding day, but the sadness etched on her face does not. For this teenage bride has been forced to marry an ally of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov after apparently being threatened with kidnap if she did not comply. Kheda Goilabiyeva, 17, looked despondent and at one point wept during the ceremony in the Chechen capital Grozny as the fearsome Kadyrov watched on from the crowd.
She
was asked three times whether she wanted to marry 47-year-old police
chief Nazhud Guchigov – who already has another wife – before finally
and reluctantly responding yes.
The
marriage has provoked outrage in Russia, fuelled by Moscow's child
rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, who defended the wedding by saying
that Caucasian women 'are all shrivelled with wrinkles by the age of
27'. He later apologised for his comments.
In
response to the remarks, young women online have started posting
selfies on Instagram with the hashtag #WrinkledWoman in which they
scrunch up their faces to simulate the appearance of wrinkles. Many of
the posts include sarcastic greetings to Astakhov.
Kadyrov,
who has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being installed by
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007, was said to have given his
personal blessing for the marriage in apparent violation of Russian laws
against polygamy.
The procession then carried on to a restaurant, where Kadyrov was present and celebrated with traditional dances.
Guchigov
reportedly threatened to kidnap the teen and warned of 'unpleasant
consequences' if she or her parents did not consent to marriage,
according to Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Several of those in attendance also said that they disapproved, owing to the difference in age between the two.
'I would
have killed my daughter before letting her marry like that,' one woman
said on condition of anonymity. 'I am against early marriages.'
Announced
in late April, the wedding led to an outcry in Russia, with several
news reports alleging that the teenager had been forced into the
marriage.
Kremlin
human rights commissioner Ella Pamfilova had denounced the marriage as
medieval and said she hoped that it would not take place. She called for
sanctions if it were carried out.
Kheda Goilabiyeva (left) and Chechen police chief Nazhud Guchigov pictured before their controversial marriage
Polygamous: Nazhud Guchigov
(right) with his first wife, to whom he is still married, and his son in
a picture posted on Instagram
A Chechen police officer poses with Nazhud Guchigov's new wife (left) and his first wife (right)
Kadyrov however said on his Instagram account that 'these publications are only lies! Love has no age'.
Russia's
child rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, said that the wedding did
not violate laws on the minimum age for marriage, but he has not
responded to questions regarding polygamy.
Kadyrov, 38, has helped the Kremlin battle an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus.
But
the former rebel – accused by human rights groups of overseeing
torture, extrajudicial executions and corruption – has shown an
increased readiness in recent months to challenge Putin's authority.
Ramzan Kadyrov (right)
has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being installed by Russian
President Vladimir Putin in 2007
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