Tumso Abdurakhmanov. Photo: RFE/RL

30 April 2019, 11:25

Relatives publicly renounce Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov

The relatives of Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who live in Chechnya, have renounced him and declared that they would not avenge his death. This was done by authorities' pressure; and the blogger's relatives just wanted to safeguard themselves, human rights defenders believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 16, the blogger noted the violent reaction of Ramzan Kadyrov and his supporters to Tumso's criticism of Akhmat Kadyrov, Ramzan's father. In late April, two Kadyrov's fellow villagers recorded a video with threats to Abdurakhmanov.

"My relatives were forced to renounce me looking into the video cameras ... The video depicts my 84-year-old uncle and two cousin uncles," Abdurakhmanov wrote in his Telegram channel.

In Chechnya, the custom of renouncing relatives is of serious importance; and grounds for such a step should be extremely weighty, for example, a murder, said Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

According to his version, the Chechen authorities made Tumso very popular by entering discussions with him, and this made the blogger's relatives living in Chechnya vulnerable.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the Civil Assistance Committee, has noted that in the Chechen society, Tumso Abdurakhmanov is treated positive; and his renunciation by relatives will not affect this attitude in any way.

The words of Abdurakhmanov's relatives that they "forgive his blood" in advance to his potential killer indicate an increased danger for the blogger, Ms Gannushkina has added.

"Tumso simply says openly what many people know, but are afraid to voice out," said Sakhib, a resident of Grozny.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 30, 2019 at 03:37 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondents

All news
НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН И РАСПРОСТРАНЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ ООО “МЕМО”, ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА ООО “МЕМО”.

September 18, 2024 23:47

  • ECtHR awards compensation to Ingush activist Zarifa Sautieva

    The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found that the Russian authorities violated the article on the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment in relation to Ingush activist Zarifa Sautieva. The activist was awarded 1000 euros in compensation, although Russia does not consider itself obligated to comply with the decisions of the European Court.

September 18, 2024 23:23

  • Court dismisses appeal of activist Melikhova against fine for her verse

    A court dismissed all the arguments of the defence and upheld the decision to fine Marina Melikhova, an activist from Kuban, whose verse the law enforcement bodies recognized as discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. Marina Melikhova, who does not have the money to pay the fine, intends to file an appeal against the court’s decision.

September 18, 2024 22:40

  • Two natives of Northern Caucasus injured in shootout near “Wildberries” office in Moscow

    A shootout took place near an office of the “Wildberries” Company in the centre of Moscow. As a result, at least one person has been killed and several others have been wounded, sources report. Among the victims have been Abubakar Mestoev and Umar Chichaev, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from Northern Caucasus, reports Shamil Khadulaev, the chair of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Dagestan.

September 18, 2024 21:47

  • In Volgograd, court recognizes absence of HIV therapy in prison hospital

    The Central District Court of Volgograd awarded prisoner Ruslan Mitrofan compensation in the amount of 1000 roubles, recognizing that the administration of a prison hospital in Volgograd violated the prisoner’s right to receive medical care by not providing him with an HIV medicine. Meanwhile, Ruslan Mitrofan requested the compensation in the amount of 100,000 roubles.

September 18, 2024 20:29

News archive