INFORMATION CENTER OF THE
SOCIETY OF RUSSIAN-CHECHEN FRIENDSHIP
Press release No. 337, January 8, 2003
Russian soldiers were killed. A New Year tree under special guard. Additional
troops are moved to Argun canyon. Police station of Staropromyslovsky district
is ready to win over criminals. Fire in one of schools of Grozny. A child was
hurt when somebody attempted to blow up a military car.
Report from the Chechen Republic
Grozny
10 people were subject to torture and 2 disappeared after they had been seized
by servicemen
On December 30, 2002 at the block post in the village Chernorechye Russian soldiers
seized 12 people who were returning home to their native settlements. As it happened
to know during the talk with one of illegally detained (wished to stay unnamed),
6 people were from the village Goity and other 6 detained live in the village
Gekhi of Urus-Martan district. After the arrest servicemen tied their hands, put
sacks on the heads and took them to the main military base of federal forces in
Khankala. 2 of the detained are nephews of Selim Beshaev, the vice-chairman of
Chechen Parliament in 1997. On December 31 ten men (who had been subject
to serious beating) were left in pairs near the cemeteries of the village Kylary,
the town Argun, the village Petropavlovskaya and other settlements. At that, soldiers
threatened the victims that in case they moved within one hour, they would
be shot. According to the received information, in Khankala all the detained were
subject to cruel beating and torture with electric current, demanding to give
evidence against unlawful armed formations. Two of the detained - the son of the
deputy
head of administration of the village Kulary and Adlan Davtaev from the village
Gekhi - haven't been found. The search of the relatives gave no results as they
were informed that these people had never been detained by Russian law-enforcement
structures.
Russian soldiers were killed
On December 30, 2002 at the crossroad of 8th of March St. and Musorov St. of the
Oktyabrsky district in Grozny two servicemen of Russian forces who were buying
goods at the local market were shot from pistols by the unknown. According to
the salesmen, the 3d Russian soldier managed to escape and saved his life. The
servicemen were from the temporary militia station situated in Musorov St. near
the former city hospital ? 2.
A New Year tree under special guard
From December 31, 2002 A New Year tree put in the former Lenin square in
Grozny is under special guard of militiamen 24 hours a day. The tree is also guarded
by firemen and other law-enforcement structures. It will last till January 13,
a New Year day according to the Julian calendar. The aim of the action is to prevent
the attempts of blowing the tree up. As it has been reported, one of them happened
on December 30, 2002 by Russian soldiers. Last year unknown men shot the top of
the tree down from a grenade cup discharge.
Additional troops are moved to Argun canyon
On January 4, 2003 at the entrance to Grozny from the side of the village Prigorodnoye
all traffic movement was stopped for several hours. It happened because
Russian units were moving from Khankala towards the village Starye Atagi and then
Shatoi - a centre of one of the districts in Argun canyon. According to the witnesses,
there were about military units 200 (tanks, APCs and lorries).
Police station of Staropromyslovsky district is ready to win over criminals
During the New Year holidays members of Staropromyslovsky police station detained
Sultanov Imran Magomedovich who was suspected of murder of Kusaev Magomed Aldievich
(born in the village Gitsorskaya of Naursky district). He was murdered on September
1, 2002 in Grozny (285 Ugolnaya St., flat 34). As in many districts of the republic
in the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny a criminal group that robs local residents
is functioning. The head of Staropromyslovsky police station Akhyad Bisultanov
declared that law-enforcement structures possess all necessary information about
the criminals of the district and soon the criminal group would be annihilated.
Fire in one of schools of Grozny
On December 27, 2002 at night a secondary school ? 17 of Leninsky district in
Grozny caught fire. It was rumored that it was somehow connected with the terrorist
act in the Government building. According to the information got by the correspondent
of the information centre of the society of Russian-Chechen Friendship,
the building caught fire because of the wrong usage of gas oven. 4 firemen units
that had been brought there from the place of the former Government complex fought
against fire. They managed to contain fire only in a few hours. About 30
% of the school building is destroyed. Nevertheless, as a member of school administration
Zulfiya Gadamauri said, children will continue to study from January 15, 2003.
(From our correspondent.).
Shali district
A child was hurt when somebody attempted to blow up a military car
On January 3, 2003 in the town Shali near 20 Pervomaiskaya St. at the road to
the village Serzhen-Yurt a huge blow was heard. The correspondent of the information
centre of the society of Russian-Chechen Friendship happened to talk to local
residents who live near the place of the accident, in particular, with Kheda and
Raset Israilov. According to them, a few seconds before the blow a military car
"UAZ" with Russian servicemen passed. A 11-year-old boy who played nearby was
seriously wounded (parents asked not to write his name) and windows were broken
in some houses. In a few minutes they heard another explosion near the car. Luckily,
nobody was killed.
(From our correspondent.).
Editor in chief Stanislav Dmitriyevsky.
Editor of this edition Oksana Bazhina.
This edition has been put out with the support of The National Endowment for Democracy,
as part of their "Russian-Chechen Information Partnership".