Murad Amriev released from custody

The athlete Murad Amriev, who was deported from Belarus to Russia and then brought to Grozny, the Chechen capital, was released from the SIZO (pre-trial prison), said Igor Kalyapin, the head of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in September 2013, Murad Amriev, the world MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) champion, told rights defenders in Chechnya that he had been kidnapped and tortured by law enforcers. In January 2016, human rights activists complained to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) about Amriev's kidnapping and torture. Recently, he was detained in Belarus because he was wanted on suspicion of using a fraudulent document. On June 8, he was handed over to FSB agents; and today a source from power agencies has informed the "Caucasian Knot" that Amriev was placed into the SIZO of the Staropromyslovsky ROVD (District Interior Division) in Grozny.

"Murad Amriev is being released from custody; our mission is over; the rest will depend on his will and intents. This story has ended safely," Igor Kalyapin, the CPT Head, wrote on his Facebook page.

Tomorrow, Grozny will host a press conference with Murad Amriev, said Kheda Saratova, a Chechen rights defender and a member of the Human Rights Council (HRC) under the head of Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 8, Zurab Amriev, Murad's brother, stated that he was considered to be the organizer of an attempt on a high-ranking police officer, and Murad Amriev was persecuted to force him, Zurab Amriev, to return to Chechnya. On that very day, their parents recorded a video appeal saying that Murad was facing a death threat in Chechnya.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.