Forced public apologies in Russia are a practice of publishing videos in which a person or their relatives askforgiveness for their words or actions. Usually the apologies are given under pressure, includingthreats and torture. The practice is particularly widespread inChechnya, and more recently in the rest of the Russian Federation.
Cases of coercion to public apologies happened in thepost-Soviet states before, and not only in Russia; for example, in February 2014 fighters ofUkrainian «Berkut» were forced to ask for forgiveness for their actions againstEuromaidan.[1]
AfterRussian protests against Navalny's imprisonment in 2021, Russian security services published apologies of protestors, many of which appeared to have been given under duress.[2] According toanthropologist Aleksandra Arkhipova, apologizing on camera damages the protester's image and lowers their support by the public.[1]
The practice is particularly widespread inChechnya, where its systematic use began in 2007.[3] The practice is associated with the rule ofRamzan Kadyrov.[4]