Most male civilians abducted by federal forces in Chechnya are now taken to pits located at military bases, according to a February 5 report by Chechen journalist Murad Magomadov for the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (available via its website www.iwpr.net). "Few get out alive," wrote Magomadov, "and those relatives who do manage to extract their loved ones...are reluctant to speak about it."

Prisons run by the Kadyrov administration, according to Magomadov, include one headed by Ramzan Kadyrov (Akhmad's son) in the family's home village of Tsentoroi, and one by the Yamadaev family in Gudermes. Also, wrote Magomadov, there are two camps "in Pobedinskoe and Krasnaya Turbina outside Grozny, run respectively by Kadyrov's security chief Movladi Baisarov and Russian special forces commander Said-Magomed Kakiev, who is a Chechen."

11 February 2004, Volume V, Issue 06 CHECHNYA WEEKLY: News and analysis on the crisis in Chechnya

eng.kavkaz.memo.ru 10/2/2004

Union of Chechen Journalists indignant at "Freedom of Speech" program shown by NTV TV Channel

We call your attention to extracts from the statement issued by the Union of Journalists of the Chechen Republic:

"The Union of Chechen Journalists expresses a stern protest against the informational war started by some Russian politicians through the central media against the Chechen people. In particular, it was displayed in the course of the "Freedom of Speech" program broadcasted by NTV TV Channel on February 6, 2004."

"The proposals expressed by State Duma deputies Dmitry Rogozin and Sergey Glazyev to declare war against "ethnic delinquency" and form volunteer units from young men to take part in this war are inevitably come under the article of the Criminal Code "Funning interethnic strife". Nikolay Kharitonov, another State Duma deputy, suggests "cleaning Moscow out", and Aleksandr Nevzorov, who has a scandalous reputation, declares peremptorily that there are no ordinary Chechens at all (that is to say, they all are terrorists). Anatoly Kulikov, former Russian Interior Minister, completes the informational attack. He thinks that ground must burn under the Chechen's feet."

"By calls for violence, some statesmen make themselves standing on the same level with the terrorists."

"We hold the political leadership of Russia must immediately place a barrier to such provocative attacks in the media."

"We believe that television must not and cannot substitute itself for the judicial bodies and bring in verdicts." "It is illegal to arrogate the committed terrorist act, which no one assumes responsibility for, to whoever it may be before investigation. Besides, it has been acknowledged by the whole world long ago that delinquency has no nationality. If there are no Russian bandits, there must not be Chechen ones."

Board Chairman of the Union of Chechen Journalists Yusupov Source: Union of Journalists of Chechnya

eng.kavkaz.memo.ru 11/2/2004

Illegally detained residents of Avtury village set free

In the evening of February 2, Apti Saltakhanov, Shamil Alimsultanov and Kharon Alimsultanov, Shamil's father, were set free from the territory of the Russian military unit stationed in the buildings of a former poultry farm in the village of Avtury, Chechnya's Shali district. All the three are residents of Avtury. Apti Saltakhanov and Shamil Alimsultanov were arbitrarily detained by Russian servicemen after an armored troop-carrier of federal forces had been blown up in the village of Avtury; the servicemen captured the first young men they came across. Shamil's father followed his son voluntarily. In no more than an hour after the detention, the military tried to deny the fact itself that the young men were taken into custody. However there were witnesses who saw the detainees being conveyed to the territory of the former farm. The activist of the Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship who came to the site of occurrence told the military that all large human rights organizations would be informed about the arbitrary detention in the near future. Being under the locals' pressure, the servicemen set the captured men free in the evening of the same day. No charges were brought against them. Residents of Avtury believe the fact that wide publicity was given to the incident played the key role in the release of Saltakhanov and the Alimsutanov father and son.

Source: Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship

Two Russian servicemen on trial for killing Chechen civilians

ROSTOV-ON-DON, February 11 (Itar-Tass) - The North Caucasian district military court will begin a trial on Wednesday of two Russian servicemen accused of attacks on and murder of civilians in Chechnya.

The defendants are servicemen of army unit 3186 Senior Lieutenant Yevgeny Khudyakov and Lieutenant Sergei Arakcheyev. According to the bill of indictment, they shot and killed three people last January in order to seize their car.

The case will be considered by the jury on the defendants' request.

This is a second trial of Russian servicemen at the court. Earlier, it resumed the hearing on the case of four Russian servicemen charged with killing six civilians in Chechnya.