- Kheda Goilabiyeva, 17, wept during marriage to key ally of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov at service in Grozny
- Asked three times if she wanted to marry 47-year-old police chief Nazhud Guchigov – who already has another wife
- Guchigov reportedly warned of 'unpleasant consequences' if she or her parents had refused to consent to marriage
- Russian child rights commissioner defended marriage saying Caucasian women 'are shrivelled with wrinkles by 27'
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.
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Not the happiest day of her
life: Chechen teenager Kheda Goilabiyeva clutches a passport as she
looks down despondently after being forced to marry an ally of Chechen
strongman Ramzan Kadyrov who reportedly threatened to kidnap her if she
and her parents refused to comply
Sorrow: The 17-year-old looked despondent throughout the ceremony as Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov watched on from the crowd
Close to tears: The teenager appears
downtrodden as she stands feet away from her husband-to-be (right) at
the registry office in Grozny
Forlorn: Miss Goilabiyeva appears to
weep with sadness as her 47-year-old groom, Chechen police chief Nazhud
Guchigov, signs the register
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.
The
woman behind the campaign appears to be Bella Rapoport, a prominent
Russian feminist writer, according to Instagram's time stamps.
The
second contributor appears to be Tonia Samsonova, a popular journalist
at Echo of Moscow with a large online social media following.
Within 12 hours, the hashtag has attracted more than 120 contributions.
Ruthless: 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
Kheda Goilabiyeva (centre) appears
forlorn after marrying 47-year-old police chief Nazhud Guchigov, a key
ally of warlord Ramzan Kadyrov
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.
Guchigov's son escorts his father's new wife from the ceremony, with her again looking anything but happy about the marriage
Given away by the regime: Kheda
Goilabiyeva is taken by head of the Chechen leader's administration
Magomed Daudov after she was reportedly threatened with kidnap if her
parents did not consent to marriage
Kremlin human rights commissioner Ella
Pamfilova had denounced the marriage as medieval and said she hoped
that it would not take place
'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.
Pretty: The wedding led to an outcry
in Russia, with several news reports alleging that the teenager (above)
had been forced into the marriage
Newlyweds: Kheda Goilabiyeva (left) and Chechen police chief Nazhud Guchigov pictured before their controversial marriage
Polygamous: Nazhud Guchigov with his first wife, to whom he is still married, and his son in a
picture posted on Instagram
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.
Brutal:
Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being
installed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007
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