Sept 25 (Reuters) - The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Monday he was proud of his teenage son Adam for beating up a prisoner accused of burning the Koran.
The Chechen leader, who styles himself as a ruthless ally of President Vladimir Putin, said he was releasing the video to settle any doubts about whether the incident, first reported last month, had really taken place.
The prisoner, Nikita Zhuravel, had complained about the attack to Russia's human rights ombudswoman, who said last month she had referred the issue to her counterpart in Chechnya.
The eldest, Akhmat, was pictured with Putin in the Kremlin in March, fuelling rumours he was being groomed as Kadyrov's successor.
Kadyrov's health has been the subject of intense speculation, with rumours swirling this month that he was dead or in a coma.
Persons:
Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Nikita Zhuravel, Akhmat, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, David Gregorio Our
Organizations:
Russia, Thomson
Locations:
Chechnya, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Kremlin, Moscow