SRChF: Imran Ezhiev was kidnapped in Chechnya (Press release No. 376)

INFORMATION CENTER OF THE SOCIETY OF RUSSIAN-CHECHEN FRIENDSHIP

Press release No. 376, March 16, 2003

Special report

Today it has become known that yesterday, on March 15, 2003 about 19.00 in the Chechen Republic on the road between the settlements Shali and Serzhen-Yurt of Shali district chairman of the regional department of The Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship, head of SRCF information Centre In Northern Caucasus Imran Ezhiev was kidnapped.

According to SRCF correspondent Zaur Saitovich Kharipov (1978), about 18.00 Imran Ezhiev and he went from the town Shali to Serzhen-Yurt, Ezhiev's native village, in Imran's personal car "Volga". Zaur Kharipov drove the automobile, while Imran Ezhiev was seating nearby. It was dark in the street. Suddenly two cars "Niva" and "Zhiguli" pressed Imran's car to the wayside. Unknown armed people in masks went out and demanded to produce documents. After that the kidnappers threatened SRCF correspondents with weapons, put Imran into one of their cars and drove away in the unknown direction.

Imran Abdulsalamovich Ezhiev, also regional coordinator of Moscow Helsinki Group monitoring program "Human Rights in Russia", was staying in the Shali district to gather information for an annual report on situation in the Chechen Republic. Practically every day he rang to SRCF information Center in Nizhny Novgorod and told over the telephone the latest information about the situation in the district.

Having no doubts that the cause of Ezhiev's forced disappearance is directly connected with his public activity and bearing in mind that as a rule the majority of analogous accidents end tragically, The Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship ask all partner remedial organizations and State institutions in Russia and abroad to assist in Imran Ezhiev's rescue.

Co-chairman of the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship Stanislav Dmitrievsky

Here is the text of the last Imran Ezhiev's report received by the Nizny Novgorod editor's office on Friday.

In the village Serzhen-Yurt residents are being in constant stress situation. Children are ill, elderly people are dying.

On March 14, 2003 at 09.40 a.m. federal units bombarded forests and the suburbs of the villages Avtury and Serzhen- Yurt. The military action lasted for 7-8 minutes.

Today it became known that on March 5, 2003 at 05.00 a.m. during one of bombardments Akberdaev Betersolta, aged 69, died from a heart attack.
As it has been reported earlier, in 2003 in the result of regular bombardments on the side of federal forces dislocation many elderly residents of the village have gone through heart attacks (that often ended in deaths), there are killed and wounded. At present Aminat Suleimanova, Idris Aiubov, who had a stroke, and 90- year-old Sotsan Isaeva, who had cardiac infarction, are in a very serious state of health.

On March 13, 2003 six cars "UAZ" and "Niva" drove along the central Street of Serzhen-Yurt named after Aslambek Sheripov towards Vedeno. For 5 minutes soldiers were firing in various directions unsystematically. Luckily nobody was hurt. However, most children got psychological wounds. For instance, a 12-year-old girl Zaira Yandaeva has started to stammer and refuses to eat. Residents of the village consider this action to be one of the methods of threatening of population before the coming referendum.

According to deputy imam of the village mosque in Serzhen-Yurt Israil Aiubov, there are a lot of people who developed psychological disorders after stresses. This is the most frequent among girls. Village clergy has to render civilians psychological help - they conduct special talks, recommend to read certain suras in Koran and to wear talismans with sacred Muslim texts. The majority of the population has no possibility to go to district centers and address to professionals for
psychological help. According to representatives of the village clergy, most funerals in the settlement are connected with deaths from acute attacks caused
by stresses.

Editor in chief Stanislav Dmitriyevsky.
Editor of this edition Oksana Bazhina.

Address of the editor's office:

603098, Gagarin Avenue, house 28, office 27,
phone (8312) 778732, 303746.

This edition has been put out with the support of The National Endowment for Democracy, as part of their "Russian-Chechen Information Partnership".

The Society of the Russian-Chechen Friendship
Prospekt Gagarina 28, room 27,
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 603007

http://www.chechenpress.info/english/news/03_2003/17/1.htm

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Webauthor's comment: That human rights activists or relief organization workers are threatened, kidnapped or killed is certainly no news for Chechnya. But in the last time the frequency of the kidnappings or detainments has increased significantly. See also here and here. Apparently the criminal strategy of the Russian death squads is now focussing on HR activists, possibly because of their opposition to the imminent referendum.