Human rights defenders find out fate of kidnapped residents of Chechen village

At least 25 residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala, whose whereabouts were unknown after they had been kidnapped by law enforcers in January, are being kept in a Chechen detention facility and charged with involvement in the militant activities. That was reported by the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”.

Mass kidnappings began on January 7, a volunteer of Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial” found out.

“Law enforcers kept at least 25 people in secret prisons, and some of them were tortured,” the website of the human rights organization reports.

Relatives refused to interact with human rights defenders, as they were afraid to aggravate the situation.

“The men are charged with organizing or participating in an illegal armed formation (IAF), and they face up to 20 years of imprisonment,” the human rights defenders report.

The volunteers also found out that the father of the kidnapped Solsaev brothers suddenly died of a cardiovascular disease on March 9.

When commenting on the kidnappings of the Khatuev and Solsaev brothers, the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial” has reported that the kidnapping of relatives is a method regularly used in Chechnya.

Taking relatives hostage is a practice, historically untypical for the Caucasus, emphasizes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

Let us remind you that in late 2021, dozens of relatives of those who criticized the authorities of Chechnya were kidnapped in the republic. Ramzan Kadyrov did not deny the fact of the kidnapping, but suggested that it was “one of those whom they insulted” who had kidnapped someone.