Authorities in the Russian Republic of Chechnya have banned music that they believe is excessively fast or slow.
Musa Dadayev, Minister of Culture, declared that all musical, vocal, and choreographic compositions will be limited to a pace of 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM), according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
All musical, vocal, and choreographic compositions will be limited to a pace of 80 to 116 beats per minute
“(I) have announced the final decision, agreed with the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, that from now on all musical, vocal, and choreographic works must correspond to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute,” Dadayev said, according to TASS.
According to Kadyrov’s direction, the area now assures that Chechen musical and dance works adhere to the “Chechen mentality and musical rhythm,” aiming to bring “to the people and the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people,” Dadayev added.
The restriction will apply to a wide range of musical types, including pop and techno.
Kadyrov has been the leader of Chechnya since 2007
Chechnya is located in the North Caucasus area, between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
It is largely a Muslim country, which includes part of Russia’s border with Georgia.
Kadyrov has been the leader since 2007 and has used his time in office to suppress any sort of criticism.
There have also been claims of a wave of violence targeting gay men.
In early 2017, United Nations human rights experts asked authorities to investigate reports that homosexual men were being targeted and detained, with local media reporting that several had been murdered because of their sexual orientation.
Another wave of anti-LGBT persecution was reported in January 2019, when campaigners claimed dozens of men and women had been jailed, with at least two dying in custody.
In response, Kadyrov stated that there were no gay people in his republic and that if there were, they should be removed from the region.
The pro-Kremlin leader has also suppressed the Chechen separatist movement, which has been fighting for independence from Russia for nearly two decades.
The US State Department sanctioned Kadyrov in July 2020 for his “involvement in gross violations of human rights.”
According to a statement from then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the department had “extensive credible information” about Kadyrov’s responsibility “for numerous gross violations of human rights dating back more than a decade, including torture and extrajudicial killings.”
