URGENT PRESS RELEASE: Oumar Khanbiev will hold a press conference in Strasbourg.

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Chechen Minister of Health Dr. Oumar Khanbiev will hold an urgent press conference in the European Parliament’s building in Strasbourg tomorrow (March 10) at 11.30. A.M. local time. (Room N-1/201).

Press officeMinistry of Foreign Affairswww.chechnya-mfa.info

Sunday 29 febbruary 2004

09/03/2004 | CHECHNYA: KIDNAPPING OF 17 MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY OF THE MINISTERS KHANBIYEV AND THE SURRENDER OF THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE, MAGOMED KHANBIYEV

CONFERENCE OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, UMAR KHANBIYEV, ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Strasbourg, March 9, 2004. Mr. Umar Khanbiyev, minister of health in the goverment of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, will explain at a press conference in the presence of a number of members of the European Parliament how the militia of the pro-Russian puppet president Khadyrov with the complicity of the Russian armed forces kidnapped 17 members of the Khanbiyev family and exerted a vicious blackmail on the ministers Khanbiyev in order to make them surrender.

The press conference will take place on Wednesday, March 10, at 11.30 a.m. in the press room of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (room N-1/201)

Journalists who want to talk with Mr. Umar Khanbiyev please contact Mrs. Silvja Manzi. Phone: 03-88-17.71.98

===== Olivier Dupuis Member of the European Parliament http://www.radicalparty.org/

The relatives of Umar Khanbiev have been arrested by the russian forces and the Kadyrov Militia.

- in Benoi : 700 soldiers, Russian and Chechens, with masks and armed, in Ouazik armoured [armoured VAZ vehicles, N.S.], entered in the houses. Have beaten, humiliated, have said « all those who are not with Russia, we will kill them. We will not let you think in a different way ». Soldiers with a lot of guns are now occupying the houses, after they have broken everything; they have robbed the money they have founds.

On monday 1 march 2004, Kadyrov's son, Ramzan, arrived and said : « we will exterminated all the Khanbiev, we will do a family genocide, only the smoke (« urbe » in Chechen ») will remain of your house).

Two of the persons were beaten and are now in a serious situation in an hospital.

The conditions of those people are that Magomed, Defence Minister and Umar Khanbiev, surrender. If not they will kil all the Khanbiev. On March 6 they are still occupying the houses. (*)

« Every Khanbiev who will come back here will disapear»

List of the persons arrested, members of the Khanbiev family, on the 29 february in Benoi: - Velid Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev - his son Amroudi Khanbiev - Daoud Khanbiev : cousin of Umar - Issa Khanbiev : cousin of Umar - Amroudi and Zaindi, cousins of Umar - Vakhidat Khanbieva, cousine of Umar Khanbiev and her husband Ousman. Their son (aged 12 years) has been wounded.

They have been brought in an unknown place. Some think it could be Tsentoroi.

One man aged 70, uncle of Umar has asked to Kadyrov's son "why are you attacking our young boys if you that they haven't participated in the fight". Answer of Kadyrov son « we are here to kill all the Khanbiev ».

3 Chechens who were kidnapper between the two wars have been recognized by people of the village « Akhkark » (nick name), Charoumov and Aboukhanov.

Monday 1er march 2004

Aslambek Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev, arrested in the Medecine faculty of Grozny. (v site memo.ru). could have been released because of a strong reaction of the studends.

In Grozny : Chiita Khanbiev, cousin of Umar Khanbiev, brother of Aslambek, also student in the faculty of medecine.

At the same time, in other places in Chechnya people belonging to the village of Maskhadov (many woman and young people) have been arrested. In Alleroi, Ojei-Iourt and Koren-Benoi, all families were kidnapped. There are now probably in Tsentoroi, natif village of Kadyrov, in prisons and camps where Kadyrov's son torture, kill, ...

=====

Olivier Dupuis Member of the European Parliament http://www.radicalparty.org/ tel. +32 2 284 7198 fax +32 2 284 9198

March 7th 2004 · Prague Watchdog      

Medical student released; others remain under arrest

Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus, March 6 - The student from the Medical Faculty of Grozny State University who was arrested several days ago was released on March 5, said his classmates.

Aslanbek Khanbiyev was jailed for three days and during that time he'd been badly beaten. Apparently he was punished for being related to Magomed Khanbiyev, former Defense Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

His classmates believe he was released thanks to their continuous public protest. For three days about 200 students from the Medical Faculty picketed the building of the Moscow-backed Chechen government in Grozny, waving banners with slogans condemning the arrest.

However, the fate of Aslanbek's detained brother remains unknown. Usam Baisayev of the Russian human rights organization Memorial suspects he may be among other Khanbiyev relatives who were also arrested.

Baisayev said that two Khanbiyevs are being held in the town of Gudermes, while 20 other relatives of Magomed Khanbiyev, including women and the elderly from the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district, are jailed in the village of Benoi.

8.3.2004

Three locals shot in Chechnya

CHECHNYA, Grozny. On the evening of 4 March in the town of Itum-Kali, Russian contract serviceman shot dead two Chechen militia officials and a local man, NGOs Council Information Centre reports.

According to the eye-witnesses, several military men arrived in the town around 4 p.m. in an UAZ 4X4 vehicle. Two of them went to a shop while another man who was drunk stayed in the vehicle. Suddenly, the drunk soldier opened machine-gun fire at a local man walking past. When two officials from Itum-Kali district militia division who happened to be nearby, ran up to the vehicle, he also shot them dead. The murderer was arrested.

Translated by Olga Sharp PRIMA News Agency [2004-03-05-Chech-06]