| Daughter of Late Chechen President Kadyrov
Detained, Beaten up in Dagestan 11.01.2005 MosNews The sister of Ramzan Kadyrov, the first vice-premier of the pro-Moscow government of Chechnya, has been detained and badly beaten by police in the republic of Dagestan, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday citing a source in the Chechen Interior Ministry. The woman, Zulai Kadyrova, had entered Dagestan on business, the source said. On her way back, officers of the local police directorate stopped her car and took her to a police station without giving any reason for their action. Chechen police stressed that their Dagestani colleagues “had used physical force” when detaining Kadyrova and as a result, her arm had been broken. The fracture has been witnessed by doctors and currently the woman’s arm is in plaster, the agency’s source said. Later, a group of Chechen policemen headed by the deputy interior minister, Khassan Gusseinov, arrived in neighboring Dagestan and after negotiations returned to Checheny together with Kadyrova, the police source said. Chechen police have refuted a report circulated by some media that a large group of armed Chechen law enforcers arrived in Dagestan and resorted to violence against local policemen before taking Kadyrova back to Chechnya. January 11th 2005 · Prague Watchdog Grozny resident asks for help in securing release of her husband Ruslan Isayev, North Caucasus – Grozny resident Yelizaveta Markhiyeva has applied to the Nazran office of the Russian human rights organization Memorial for help in securing the release of her husband, 24-year-old Zaurbek Gaziyev. She says that on the morning of January 2 about ten passenger cars drove up to their house. They contained more than 20 armed men, who rushed into the house, wounded Zaurbek, who had not yet managed to get out of bed and, throwing him into a car, took him off in an unknown direction. Yelizabeta Markhiyeva was badly beaten, and her two small children were terrified. Gold jewellery, money, a telephone and other items were also taken from the house. Relatives began to make inquiries and soon found Zaurbek in one of the wards of Grozny’s City Hospital No. 9, under police guard. In the hospital admissions register he was listed as an unknown person. After this, his captors speedily removed him from the hospital, pretending he was dead. However, Gaziyev’s relatives found him again, this time in Nozhay-Yurt District Hospital. Access to him was denied, as previously. The relatives fear that Zaurbek may be kept hidden indefinitely, and that finding him will be problematic. There are very many such cases in Chechnya. Kadyrov's Band Committed Foray on Khasavyurt “Kaxkaz-Center” source in Dagestan informs that a big gang of “kadyrovtsy” captured the city militia department of Khasavyurt (Dagestan), having cruelly clobbered the local militiamen. The foray took place on January 10 after Kadyrov?s sister had been arrested at one Khasavyurt district militia department and had been brought to the city department. Just one hour later, Ramzan Kadyrov accompanied by 150 armed men arrived in Khasavyurt GOVD (city department for home affairs) and captured it. In process of capture, the militiamen, who were present at the moment, were brutally clobbered. None of the local militiamen resisted the gangsters. In a while ”kadyrovtsy” left Khasavyurt and took the arrested Kadyrov?s sister with them. Russian mass media gave no information about this incident. The reasons for Kadyrov?s sister arrest are also not reported. In the meantime, on the territory of several regions in Ingoushetia, puppet organizations are carrying through “clearances”. That was reported to “Interfax” by the puppet structures of the Republic. As the source said, the “clearances” in which the staff of pro-Moscow militiamen, brigades of Russian occupiers troops and other occupiers organizations were involved, were being carried through on the territory of three regions in Ingoushetia. “Complex of preventive measures is coming to life”, - the source informed. He mentioned, that no publicity was given to purposes and tasks of this action. As „Interfax“ informs, the FSB lieutenant colonel of the Russian Federation has exploded on a landmine near the hamlet Ali-Yurt in Ali-Nazran region of Ingoushetia. The explosion happened during the inspection of Mujahiddeen training base territory, which had been found in the woodland not far from Ali-Yurt. The gateway to the base was mined. In Nazran, on Monday evening, the boundary military unit dispositions was volleyed, two persons got injuries. As the source from Nazran city militia department informed, the frontier guards had been attacked at 22:25 Moscow time. “As a result of shot, an explosion proceeded, and two frontier guards among soldiers were damaged”, - the source pointed out. The other converser of the agency from the Nazran boundary military unit headquarters reported, that unknown persons had been supposedly shooting with the antitank grenade gun from the next-door building, aimed the dormitory premises of a boundary military unit subdivision. Kavkaz Center 2005-01-12 00:05:33 January 12th 2005 · Prague Watchdog Mop-up in Nazran-based Chechen NGO Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus - On January 12, members of the Ingush branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) carried out a “cleansing operation” (zachistka) at the Press Center of the Council of Non-governmental Organizations (SNO), an umbrella organization of Chechen NGOs, which is situated in a private apartment in Nazran, Ingushetia. At around 2pm several men in camouflage and masks, armed with sub-machine guns and shields, broke into the Center’s premises on Nazran’s Moskovskaya Street. Making the male journalists lie down on the floor and the women stand against a wall, they began to insult them. As they held the journalists at gunpoint, pending the arrival of an investigator, the FSB men checked and photographed the documents of the Center’s staff. The person who arrived was dressed in civilian clothes and introduced himself as Kirill Shvedov, an investigator from the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Ingushetia. According to him, the “cleansing operation” in the Press Center was being carried out on the basis of intelligence which alleged that a group of bandits was located in this apartment. After checking the documents, the FSB personnel took away two of the Press Center’s computers, also for checking. SNO's Press Center published information about human rights violations concerning the Chechen Republic. It has been operating for about three years. eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 10/1/2005 Destiny of Maskhadov's relatives remains unknown The whereabouts and further destiny of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov's two elder brothers abducted by gunmen in masks over a month ago remain unknown. A group of gunmen in masks and camouflage uniforms moving in several cars took away at night Aslan Maskhadov's sister, who lived in the village of Krasnaya Turbina situated in the Staropromislovsky district of the Chechen capital, Grozny. At about the same time, other gunmen took away the two brothers of the Chechen separatist leader from their houses. It was reported earlier that Aslan Maskhadov's sister had been released. People in Chechnya believe that the abduction of Aslan Maskhadov's close relatives was organized by officers of the Chechen president's security service headed by Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen Deputy Prime Minister. Locals think that it was done with the purpose of forcing the president of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria to lay down arms and give himself up to the authorities. However Aslan Maskhadov has stated he will give himself up under no conditions, even if officers of security agencies take as hostages all his close and distant relatives, or even the entire family, some sources say. The Chechen Interior Ministry asserts that there was no abduction of Aslan Maskhadov's relatives. The republican law enforcement agencies know nothing about it anyhow. Author: Sultan Abubakarov, CK correspondent Open Letter to the Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic regarding the disappearance of Zaurbek Gaziev on 1 January 2005 To: Vladimir Pavlovich Kravchenko Prosecutor of the Republic of Chechnya, RF Via facsimile + 7 (8712) 22 31 44 , + 7 (095) 777 92 26 Copy: Vladimir Ustinov, Prosecutor General of the RF, Via facsimile +7(095) 921-41-86 Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman of the RF, Via facsimile +7(095) 207-76-30 Ella Pamfilova, Chair of the Human Rights Commission of the RF, Via facsimile +7 (095) 206-48-55 OPEN LETTER Vienna, 12 January 2005 Dear Prosecutor, I’m writing to you on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) regarding the shooting, unlawful detention and disappearance of Zaurbek Gaziev (born 1981) on 1 January 2005 in Grozny, Proletarnaya Str. 2, flat 8. On 1 January 2005, 3 a.m. a group of 25 to 30 armed and camouflaged men in 8-9 cars arrived at the home of the Gaziev family. Before explaining anything they opened fire and seriously wounded Zaurbek Gaziev. Without rendering any medical help they interrogated the wounded men for three hours. No other persons were allowed in, and neither the wife nor the two children (1 and 2.5 years) were allowed to leave the scene, which frightened particularly the children to death. Without any authorization they searched the whole house and the garden, demanding from Gaziev to show them the hidden weapons in the house. Apparently they did not find anything illegal in the house, but stole some gold, a phone and other valuables. At 6 a.m. they left with the wounded Gaziev, again without any justification. The relatives could find out that he was delivered to the 9th hospital of Grozny, where they found a room that was guarded by two of those men who had conducted the operation in their house. When trying to see him the employees of the hospital denied the fact that he was there. Despite this, his mother recognized him, when Gaziev was transferred on a stretcher from the 4th floor to the 1st with a bedsheet over the whole body, after she had pulled it off. After this a reinforcement of militia or soldiers came and transferred him to another hospital. It was possible for the relatives to find out that he was brought to the hospital in Nozhai-Yurt, where again he is guarded, and any visits by relatives were prevented. ****** We appeal to you either to ensure that Zaurbek Gaziev is released immediately by those who hold him, or to provide a legal arrest warrant stating the reasons for his detention, which then also has to be communicated to the family members of him. In either case we appeal to you to conduct a thorough investigation of the apparently illegal conduct of the operation, in which Gaziev was seriously wounded. We ask you to inform us about the investigation process of this case. Sincerely, Dr. Aaron Rhodes (Executive Director) cc OSCE Delegations Council of Europe Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights National Helsinki Committees __________________________________________ Joachim Frank, Project Coordinator International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wickenburggasse 14/7 A-1080 Vienna Tel. +43-1-408 88 22 ext. 22 Fax: +43-1-408 88 22 ext. 50 Web: http://www.ihf-hr.org ______________________________________ Russian Officers on Trial for Killing Chechen Civilians Created: 12.01.2005 11:04 MSK (GMT +3), MosNews Two officers of the Russian Interior Ministry's troops go on trial on Wednesday for killing civilians in Chechnya, the Itar-Tass news agency reports. The two officers — Senior Lieutenant Yevgeny Khudyakov and Junior Lieutenant Sergei Arakcheyev are accused of killing three people after they opened fire at a truck during a reconnaissance operation in Grozny on Jan. 15, 2004. In June 2004, the jury panel of the North Caucasian district military court acquitted the accused servicemen. However, the Military Prosecutor's Office of the combined forces grouping in the North Caucasus appealed the court decision. In November 2004, the Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court satisfied the appeal of the Military Prosecutor's Office and annulled the not guilty verdict and sent the case for a retrial. The accused have again been given an opportunity to choose the form of their trial — by jury or a panel of judges. The aggreived party will insist on a retrial without jury, its representative told Itar-Tass. This is the second such case being considered by the North Caucasian District Military Court. The hearings in the so-called Ulman Case (the name of one of the accused) are scheduled for Jan. 18. The defendants, four officers of the Army Special Forces are also accused of killing six civilians in Chechnya. Earlier they were acquitted by a court of jury. However, the Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court has sent the case for a retrial. BBC NEWS Russians win human rights prize Two Russian human rights activists and a journalist have been awarded the 2004 Olof Palme Prize. The Palme Memorial Fund, set up by the slain Swedish prime minister's family, called the winners "symbols of the long battle for human rights in Russia". Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Sergey Kovalyov and Anna Politkovskaya will receive a diploma and a $50,000 (£26,600) cheque. Previous winners include Czech President Vaclav Havel and Amnesty International. Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix received the award last year. The human rights situation in Russia has been attracting increasing international attention ever since former KGB security police agent, Vladimir Putin, became president. Russian human rights activists deal with a wide range of issues, including the war in Chechnya, the Yukos oil company case, espionage accusations against scientists and journalists, claims of bullying of army conscripts and police abuse. Dissident legacy Ms Alekseyeva and Mr Kovalyov are among the few former Soviet dissidents who remained active after the collapse of the USSR. Ms Alekseyeva, was one of the founders of the underground Moscow Helsinki group. She was forced to emigrate after a clampdown on the group in 1977. In 1993, she returned to Russia to head the group, now registered as a public organisation. In 1996, she was elected the head of the International Helsinki Federation, uniting human rights activists from different countries. She is also a member of the presidential commission on human rights. Mr Kovalyov, a former political prisoner and a close friend of the late academician Andrei Sakharov, was the Russia's ombudsman, but resigned in 1996 protesting against the war in Chechnya. Ms Politkovskaya, the Novaya Gazeta newspaper journalist, belongs to the new generation of human rights advocates. She conducted investigations of human rights abuses in Chechnya and was several times detained or threatened by the Russian military. The prize will be awarded in Stockholm on 28 January. Olof Palme was shot dead in 1986, as he and his wife walked home unguarded from a cinema. His killer has never been caught. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4168113.stm Published: 2005/01/12 13:30:05 GMT © BBC MMV |