Rights defenders link kidnappings with car arson in Grozny

In Grozny, an unknown person has set fire to a car with a DUSTUM license plate and the inscription K13 on the door. A resident of the Chechen capital was detained on suspicion of committing the arson; he surrendered himself after the kidnapping of his family, the Chechen oppositional Telegram channel has reported. Analysts believe that the car has to do with Adam Kadyrov, a son of the head of Chechnya.

In Chechnya, the call sign "Dustum" and the number "K13" are secretly reserved for the people related to Adam Kadyrov, an activist of the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence* has confirmed.

"The arson was most likely committed by a person who suffered from the actions of government officials. In Chechnya, the majority of population are such victims," the source has added.

The above Telegram channel has also reported on mass detentions in the Shali District; as of May 7, about 30 people had been detained.

In the early 2000s, Ramzan Kadyrov had the nickname "Dustum," Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, has recalled.

Svetlana Gannushkina**, the head of the "Civic Assistance" Committee**, does not rule out that the kidnappings had to do with the arson of the car. In her opinion, this may be a response to the injustice on the part of the entourage of Ramzan Kadyrov's son.

*On December 29, 2021, by the decision of the Moscow City Court, the Russian legal entities of the "International Memorial" and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" were liquidated. Activists of the organizations have reported that both organizations will continue their work without forming legal entities.

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.