YouTube blocks incriminating documentary about Chechen leader

A documentary about Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, posted online by Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s NGO Open Russia, has been removed by YouTube. The actions were taken in response to complaints about copyright violations, filed by head of the company T&K Production Ilyas Synbulatov. The details of violations have not been disclosed.

Open Russia has stated that the complaints are unfounded, as all materials were gathered legally and the authors of the materials were given credit. The NGO is appealing against the YouTube’s decision.

According to Open Russia, by the time the video was blocked, it had 900,000 views. The version of the documentary with English subtitles is still available online. The documentary can also be accessed through Vimeo.

Now, an appeal has been filed against the block, and as soon as YouTube recognizes that the video does not violate any copyright laws, the film will be available again.

The NGO Open Russia presented its 30-minute film entitled The Family. A film about Ramzan Kadyrov, whom Putin calls a son on May 25, 2015.

The documentary talks about the Chechen leader’s role in Russia’s power structures, shows how he established special security agencies in Chechnya, and details human rights violations such as kidnappings and torture in the region.

The film claims that in addition to billions of dollars in federal subsidies for Chechnya, Kadyrov personally obtains money from a “complex system of tributes” based on monthly fees paid by every Chechen out of their salary.