You Dress According to Their Rules: Enforcement of an Islamic Dress Code for Women in Chechnya

This report documents acts of violence, harassment, and threats against women in Chechnya to intimidate them into wearing a headscarf or dressing more “modestly,” in long skirts and sleeves to cover their limbs. The documented attacks by unidentified men believed to be law enforcement officials took place from June through September 2010 in the center of Grozny, the Chechen capital.

Table of Contents

* “You Dress According to Their Rules”
* Map of Chechnya
* Summary
* Methodology
* I. Background
* II. Enforcing Islamic Dress Code in Chechnya through Attacks and Harassment of Women
* III. Recommendations
* Acknowledgments
* Appendix: Questions and Answers on Restrictions on Religious Dress and Symbols in Europe