ACHXOY-MARTAN, Chechnya — Chechnya’s government is openly approving of families that kill female relatives who violate their sense of honor, as this Russian republic embraces a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam after decades of religious suppression under Soviet rule.

In the past five years, the bodies of dozens of young Chechen women have been found dumped in woods, abandoned in alleys and left along roads in the capital, Grozny, and neighboring villages.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov publicly announced that the dead women had ‘loose morals’ and were rightfully shot by male relatives. He went on to describe women as the property of their husbands, and said their main role is to bear children.

‘If a woman runs around and if a man runs around with her, both of them should be killed,’ said Mr. Kadyrov, who often has stated his goal of making Chechnya ‘more Islamic than the Islamists.’

In today’s Chechnya, alcohol is all but banned, Islamic dress codes are enforced and polygamous marriages are supported by the government.

Some observers say Mr. Kadyrov’s attempt to impose Islamic law violates the Russian Constitution, which guarantees equal rights for women and a separation of church and state.

‘We are a traditional, conservative society, but the government has […]