What is blood feud definition. Blood feud in Chechnya: how the tradition works

The custom of blood feud, which is practiced, in particular, by the Chechens, seems to many to be a wild medieval relic. But not everything is as simple and unambiguous as it seems at first glance. In fact, this tradition protects against rampant violence.

According to the law of adat

In the Chechen language, blood feud is called "chir". This tradition is not Muslim, it goes back to adat - a set of unwritten laws, according to which the Vainakhs, the ancestors of modern Chechens, lived even before the adoption of Islam.

The most common cause of vendetta is murder. The elders of the teip gather and conduct a trial. If they establish the guilt of the suspect, then the rite of "blood-mongering" begins. An envoy is sent to the relatives of the killer, who informs them of the decision of the victim's family to declare blood feud. From this moment the law "blood for blood" comes into force.

If the murder is unintentional (say, it is a death in an accident or from a stray bullet), then the culprit is usually forgiven immediately, but he must pay a ransom to the victim's family or take care of the victim's children. Sometimes relatives of victims refuse ransom, and this is considered the height of nobility.

But if it turns out that at the time of the collision or the "accidental shot" the killer was drunk, then blood feud can come true.

By the way, women, the elderly, children, or the feeble-minded, according to the custom of blood feud, are not killed. But at the same time, a woman can carry out blood feud herself if there are no men left in her family. And if a woman is killed, then two men from the killer's family are killed for her.

Most often, a family that has been declared "chir" then moves to another place. Such people are called "Lurovella", which means "hiding from blood feuds."

In ancient times, blood feud was carried out only in relation to the perpetrator of the crime. In adat, there was such a thing as “kuyg behki” (“guilty hand”), that is, it was possible to pursue only the killer directly. Moreover, the bloodlines were often forgiven - this was considered a more worthy act than revenge. In the 19th century, under Imam Shamil, the law was corrected: now the injured party could choose for itself who would fall under the handout. Usually these were the closest relatives of the culprit on the paternal side. Sometimes it happened that the most respected of the family was killed.

Only the next of kin of the victim can take revenge. If revenge is carried out, for example, by his friend, this will no longer be considered blood feud, but murder, which will lead to the emergence of new bloodlines. Sometimes a criminal is killed by his own relatives to avoid further bloodshed.

How does reconciliation take place?

There is no statute of limitations on blood feuds. If a person accused of a crime dies, then his brothers, sons, grandchildren or other male relatives can be killed. Therefore, it is believed that the sooner reconciliation occurs, the better.

The reconciliation process is usually initiated by the family of the perpetrator. An intermediary is sent to the bloodlines, declaring a desire to reconcile. According to the rules, reconciliation can take place no earlier than a year after the announcement of "chira". All this time, those who are declared blood feuds must be in exile, in hiding.

The reconciliation process looks like this. After an agreement has been reached between the two parties, at the appointed time in the appointed place (usually on the outskirts of the village) representatives of both parties meet, and “according to the protocol” they should be in dark clothes and with their heads covered and should not raise their heads and look in the eyes of the "opposing side".

First, a ritual greeting sounds and prayers are read. Then comes the rite itself. The closest relative of the murdered person shaves the killer's head and beard, after which he is considered forgiven. Like, if during shaving he resisted the temptation to cut the throat of the enemy, then he forgave ...

Why is blood feud necessary?

If the one who is suspected of the murder considers himself innocent, and there is no irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the crime, then he can remove the suspicions by swearing on the Koran. This is happening in front of dozens of witnesses. It happens that the offender lies on the Koran. "Khera dui" (false oath) in Islam is considered one of the gravest crimes. If it turns out that a person lied, then forgiveness is annulled, and all his relatives turn away from the perjurer.

What is the meaning of blood feud? It is to make people understand: murder is a terrible sin, and if you killed, then this sin will fall not only on you, but also on the heads of your loved ones. That is, a custom that is terrible at first glance, in fact, deters from committing crimes.

The custom of blood feud is the principle of legal proceedings, which consists in the fact that the perpetrator of the murder (or one of his family members) is necessarily punished by death as retribution. The tradition of "an eye for an eye" is part of a legal system in which the state is not able to ensure law and order, so the victim's family considers it their duty to repay the killer for the pain inflicted and thus restore the honor of their family.

The custom of blood feud is often practiced:

• in the Caucasus;
• in the countries of the Middle East;
• in Albania, Montenegro;
• in Southern Italy, Sardinia, Corsica - is called "vendetta".

According to Caucasian customs, blood feud has no statute of limitations, and can be carried out even after the death of the killer and his relatives, after 50 or even 100 years, so they prefer to resolve conflict situations immediately, without shifting responsibility for what happened to future generations.

Who resorted to this method in antiquity?

In ancient times, the Vainakhs (Chechens, Ingush), Ossetians, Kabardians and Dagestanis resorted to such a cardinal "settlement". With the advent of Soviet power, individual peoples tried to eradicate this tradition, but in the Ingush and Chechen society, the custom lives on today.

Entry into force

Blood feud comes into force from the moment it was announced. The elder of the village goes to the house of the person who has committed a serious crime and informs about the decision made by the family of the murdered. After that, there are two options for the development of the event - the killer and his family can go on the run, then they will be called "lurovella" (one who is hiding from blood feud) or will agree on a reconciliation process.

Advice

If the suspect considers himself innocent, he can take an oath on the Koran in the presence of an elder who is responsible before Allah for the truthfulness of his ward.

If it turns out that the person who made the vow is guilty, the pardon is annulled. The duty of revenge is the prerogative of blood relatives, if revenge is committed by a friend, this will be considered a new crime that will require further consideration. Death from blood feud is tolerated by the killer's wife and relatives more easily than death for other reasons.

How is blood feud regarded in the legislation of the Russian Federation?

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation considers the motive of blood feud as a circumstance aggravating the guilt of the defendant, and provides for punishment in the form of life imprisonment or imprisonment for a period of 8-20 years.

Blood feuds in Italy were common until the beginning of the 20th century, and continue in some areas today. Separate episodes were recorded in the Balkans and in modern Montenegro, where it is customary to take revenge not only for the deprivation of life, but also for crimes committed against the honor of the family. The offender is not only the killer himself, but also all his male relatives, and the mechanism of blood feud can be launched for many years. Women actively participated in the act of vengeance, killing the offender themselves or raising their children in the spirit of vengeance.

Ritual of blood vengeance

In Italy, the tradition was usually accompanied by whole rituals, but with one condition: the blood feud should not have been painful, and after death, the victims could act barbarically with the body, which served as an act of intimidation and restoration of justice. They could take revenge not only on direct relatives, but also on everyone who was considered part of the clan or family.

blood feud

What was the blood feud for?

Blood feuds could be declared for excessive talkativeness, adultery, embezzlement of other people's money, drug deals carried out, secretly from the bosses. For each case, their own “omerta” laws operated, which were first officially found in 2007 in one of the mafiosi. Journalists called the rules of the vendetta "10 Commandments of Cosa Nostra" and this was the first documented confirmation of the custom of blood feud in the entire existence of the mafia.

Conclusion:

The custom of blood feud is fraught with negative consequences - often a murder for a serious crime is accompanied by more cruel acts, which can result in protracted bloody conflicts. Contrary to opinion, revenge is not reflected in the Bible, and even in the Koran and Sharia, the tradition is not confirmed. In our country, blood feud is considered a factor that aggravates the commission of a crime, and is subject to condemnation throughout the country.

blood feud

(403 words) Blood feud is one of the most ancient customs that have appeared in human society. It represents an obligatory retribution, which must be carried out in relation to the person who committed the murder of one of the members of the family (tribe or clan), but in some cases it was replaced by a ransom. At the moment, this tradition is a relic of the past, but once it was a real scourge, leading to the destruction of entire clans. Therefore, this problem has been described by many writers.

Thus, one of the great examples of a tragedy played out because of a blood feud is William Shakespeare's imperishable play Romeo and Juliet. The action takes place in Italy, where enmity flares up with renewed vigor between two noble families - the Capulets and the Montagues. Romeo falls in love with young Juliet, and they find themselves in a hopeless situation. They are separated by an abyss that they cannot overcome, while they want to marry Juliet to a person she does not love. The girl wants to be poisoned, but, persuaded by the holy father Lorenzo, she drinks sleeping pills, and the priest prepares the escape of her beloved, sending a messenger with the message to Romeo, but he does not receive the news because of the plague. As a result, the young man poisons himself over the body of his beloved, not knowing that she is sleeping, and the girl, waking up, stabs herself, distraught with grief. Blood feuds between families were stopped only after the death of their children - and William Shakespeare emphasizes this, showing all the horror that follows bloody traces of revenge.

In Russia, the concept of blood feud has existed since ancient times, and quite early such an alternative was offered to such a principle as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, such as a ransom for a murdered or crippled family member. For example, Tsar Ivan the Terrible in M.Yu. Lermontov's "Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov" undertakes to support the family of the merchant, whom he executed for violating the law. In a fistfight, which was organized for fun, Kalashnikov killed Kiribeevich, who was the favorite warrior of the ruler. He took revenge for the fact that the hero shamed his wife by molesting her on the street. But the culprit never gave the king the reasons for his act. Then Ivan the Terrible was forced to execute him in order to stop the cycle of revenge. However, by his own example, Vladyka showed how a person should behave according to the law. Yaroslav the Wise also abolished blood feuds and imposed a fine on those who maimed or killed a member of another family. Therefore, the hero gives Alena Dmitrievna and her children lifelong support, making amends to them.

Blood feud is a terrible custom, which is based on the right of revenge, which belongs to the relatives of the injured or killed person. Artists have repeatedly turned to this topic, trying to show how terrible the consequences it entails. Blood feud has remained a vestige of its era, so it does not exist in any civilized country.

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BLOOD REVENGE- BLOOD REVENGE - a custom that has developed during the tribal system as a universal means of protecting the honor, dignity and property of the clan, which consists in the obligation of the relatives of the murdered to take revenge on the murderer or his relatives. In the Russian Federation, the custom of K.m. exists among some peoples of the North Caucasus. The Criminal Code of the RSFSR established responsibility for K.m. in the manner prescribed by the regulation on conciliation proceedings in cases of K.m. (a crime, which is a relic of local customs). In the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the motive of K.m. - one of the aggravating circumstances of the murder.

BLOOD REVENGE

BLOOD REVENGE - a custom that has developed during the tribal system as a universal means of protecting the honor, dignity and property of the clan, which consists in the obligation of the relatives of the murdered to take revenge on the murderer or his relatives. In the Russian Federation, the custom of K.m. exists among some peoples of the North Caucasus. The Criminal Code of the RSFSR established responsibility for K.m. in the manner prescribed by the regulation on conciliation proceedings in cases of K.m. (a crime, which is a relic of local customs). In the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the motive of K.m. - one of the aggravating circumstances of the murder.

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blood feud

a custom that developed during the tribal system as a universal means of protecting the clan. Consists of the obligation of the relatives of the murdered to take revenge on the murderer or his relatives. also Vendetta.

Big Law Dictionary

blood feud

a custom that has developed under the tribal system as a universal means of protecting the honor, dignity and property of the clan. Consists of the obligation of the relatives of the murdered to take revenge on the murderer or his relatives. In the Russian Federation, it exists among some peoples of the North Caucasus. The Criminal Code of the RSFSR established the responsibility of the relatives of the murdered man who refused the conciliation proceedings in the cases of K.m. (a crime that is a relic of local customs). In the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the motive of K.m. is one of the aggravating circumstances of murder.

blood feud

a custom that arose and developed in a pre-state society as a universal means of protecting the life, honor, property of relatives (tribesmen). Unified in its basis, the custom of K. m. existed in various versions: among some peoples, it was considered sufficient to kill one of the representatives of the offender’s clan (i.e., not necessarily himself), among others, K. m. had to continue until until the number of victims on both sides is equal, etc.

In early state societies, crime was not eliminated, but was somewhat limited: the circle of avengers and defendants narrowed, the degree of damage, gender, age, and social status of the object of revenge were taken into account. At the same time, a system of compositions was developed - material compensation for damage. For example, according to the Saxon customs, the K. m. extended only to the murderer and his sons; according to the Burgundians - only on the killer himself, the circle of persons who had the right to take revenge was also limited; a murder in the order of K. m. could not have been committed, for example, in the premises of a church. According to Russian truth, it was allowed to take revenge on a brother for a brother, a son for a father, etc., in the absence of such, a fine (vira) was imposed; according to the Salic truth, instead of K. m., a fine was paid - wergeld. As a rule, K. m. was forbidden if the murder was committed by negligence or by accident. In this form, stone materials and compositions were retained in many countries and regions, and in some of them (Albania, Serbia, southern Italy, Corsica, Japan, and others) survived until the 20th century. In the USSR, stone materials and compositions that were preserved among some peoples of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and others are considered by the criminal legislation of a number of union republics as crimes that are remnants of local customs (see, for example, the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, articles 102, 231). In the USSR, K. m. is practically obsolete.

Lit .: Kosven M. O., Crime and punishment in a pre-state society, M.≈ L., 1925.

Wikipedia

blood feud

Blood revenge(also vendetta, revenge - revenge) - the oldest principle characteristic of the tribal system, according to which the person who committed the murder, or one of his family members, is necessarily subject to death in retaliation. Blood feud is carried out, respectively, by one of the members of the family, clan, tribe, clan, group, etc., to which the victim belonged. In a number of cases, blood feud was replaced by a ransom or a transfer to the injured side of the person who committed the murder to replace the murdered. Here, a person is perceived as part of a tribal association, and the concept of personal honor is combined with an understanding of the honor of the entire blood union.

Blood feud (The Simpsons)

"Blood Revenge" is the twenty-second episode of the second season of The Simpsons, which premiered in the United States on July 11, 1991. The episode was directed by David Silverman and written by George Mayer. There are no guest stars in this episode. This episode marks the first appearance of the head of the Estacataka, and can be seen in many later episodes in the Simpsons' basement.