| eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot
10/1/2006 Brothers abducted in Chechnya Officers of Russian law enforcement / security agencies seized and brought away brothers Shamil and Bilal Usparov in Kurchaloi on 9 January 2006, according to information provided by local residents. The military were driving several cars, according to the source, the Council of Nongovernmental Organisations reports. The attackers did not explain the reasons for their action. Nor did they tell the brothers' relatives why and where they were taking Shamil and Bilal. The relatives say that the brothers had had nothing to do with military action or anything criminal in Chechnya. The whereabouts and further destiny of the brothers Usparov remain unknown. Abu Yakh'yayev, 16, resident in Avtury, Shali district, disappeared under unclear circumstances on 26 December 2005, according to the same source's message received by Caucasian Knot. Villagers are convinced that the young man became the subject of abduction. In the same village, a 17-year-old local resident (his surname is not given) left home the day before and has since been missing. The young men's relatives have tried to establish their whereabouts and further destiny, but their attempts have not been a success. Russia | 12.01.2006 Trial of Khlebnikov's alleged killers begins in secrecy after questionable investigation Reporters Without Borders today condemned the manner in which three people are being tried for the 2004 murder of US journalist Paul Khlebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of the US magazine Forbes, and the poor quality of the investigation that preceded the trial, which began yesterday in Moscow and is being conducted in secrecy. The three defendants Musa Vakhayev and Kazbek Dukuzov, who are of Chechen origin, and Fail Sadretdinov, of Tatar origin - appeared in court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder. The prosecutor's office claims that the murder was an act of revenge against Khlebnikov by Chechen separatists, with whom the defendants are linked, according to the Russian secret services. Last June, the FSB (the former KGB) accused Chechen rebel leader Khozh Akhmed Nukhayev of ordering the murder. The details of the case are classified. "Paul Khlebnikov did not mince his words," Reporters Without Borders said. "He was famous for his sensational revelations about links between the oligarchs and the Chechen warlords. The authorities should not ignore this aspect. The lack of transparency in the preparation of this case raises questions about the impartiality of the investigators and how serious their investigation really was. We also regret that the trial is being held behind closed doors." Last November, the daily Izvestia quoted one of the defendants, Sadretdinov, as claiming that Khlebnikov had been about to publish a report on the links of certain Russian politicians with Chechnya. The deputy editor of the Russian edition of Newsweek, Alexandre Gordeev, said last month that, before dying of his gunshot wounds, Khlebnikov had time to tell him that his killer was Russian, not Caucasian. Svetlana Chuvilova of the All Russia's Movement for Human Rights (Za Prava Cheloveka) told Reporters Without Borders she was outraged by the decision to hold a secret trial. She said the prosecutors gave Sadretdinov only two weeks to familiarize himself with the case, which consists of 40 volumes. Furthermore, she said, "a recording of telephone conversations that would have proved Sadretdinov's innocence mysteriously disappeared after being given to the investigators." She also protested against the conditions in which Sadretdinov, who needs medical attention, is being held. An award-winning investigative journalist, Khlebnikov was gunned down in Moscow on 9 July 2004. He had been writing for years about the Kremlin's links with Chechen gangsters. In the 2001 book "Kremlin godfather : Boris Berezovski and the rape of Russia," he said Berezovski, one of the Russian oligarchs, had financed the Bin Laden network in Chechnya in order to ensure Vladimir Putin's rise to power in 2000. In "Conversations with a Barbarian," published in 2003, he describes how Nukhayev evolved from a gangster chief to leader of an Islamist party. Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world. It has nine national sections (Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland). It has representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, London, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Washington. And it has more than 120 correspondents worldwide. © Reporters Without Borders 2006 eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 11/1/2006 IHF: Ingush residents tortured in custody in N Ossetia The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights is concerned about increasingly frequent cases of torture and unlawful actions with respect to residents of Ingushetia. This is said in an open letter from IHF Executive Director Aaron Rhodes to Alexander Bigulov, Prosecutor of the Republic of North Ossetia, received by Caucasian Knot. In his letter, the human rights defender reports illegal detention, torture, and fabrication of a criminal case by officers of the North Ossetian Internal Affairs Ministry's Department for the Combating of Organised Crime against four men: Muslim Bagaudinovich Tsechoyev, Ruslan Bagaudinovich Tsechoyev, Magomed Makhmedgireyevich Tsechoyev, and Yusup Umatgireyevich Khashiyev. There are reports that the four were tortured, after which three of them were released on the same night and a criminal case was opened against Ruslan Tsechoyev. The human rights defender asks to close the criminal case, release Mr Tsechoyev, investigate the circumstances of the obviously unlawful detention of the four men, and hold those guilty of the use torture with respect to them accountable. RCIA reports Kurchaloy district. Chechen Republic Report # 955 The detainee is suspected of drug-dealing On 11 January 2006 Musaev Shamil Patsuevich was detained by law-enforcement agents of the Chechen Republic, according to the information obtained from a source within the Interior Ministry. The detained man is reportedly suspected of drug-dealing. At the time of the detention he had three packets of cocaine on him. As of the present moment, the police is questioning the detained man. (From our correspondent) Kurchaloy district. Chechen Republic Report # 954 Abduction of a resident of Mayrtup village On 12 January 2006 at dawn unidentified people moving around in an UAZ vehicle snatched away Minkail Akhmadov from his own house in the village of Mayrtup of the Chechen Kurchaloy district. The house I situated at the address 17 Kirov Street. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 953 Vedeno district has been subjected to shelling On 11 January 2006 at about 3 pm the forested area situated in the vicinity of the village of Kharachoy of the Chechen Vedeno district was subjected to mortar attack. None of the villagers was injured. According to the locals, several mines burst in the area of the pasture and some cows were killed. (From our correspondent) Vedeno district. Chechen Republic Report # 952 A resident of Elistanzhi village is set free for ransom On 13 January 2006 the editorial office of Russian-Chechen Information Agency in Nizhny Novgorod received information about release of Doka Mezhidov (aged 36), a resident of the village of Elistanzhi of the Chechen Vedeno district after his kidnapping on December 6, 2005. That day he was snatched away from his house by a group of unidentified armed people moving around in three UAZ vehicles (see O.R. from 08.12.2005). In Doka Mezhidov's relatives' words, the kidnappers got four thousand USA$ as ransom for Doka's freedom. Doka Mezhidov was released in Gudermes district center. According to his testimony, he was kept in the basement in the building. The kidnappers subjected him to regular beating up. They fed him only on bread and water. (From our correspondent) Nizniy Novgorod Report # 951 Dmitrievsky's lawyers are going to lodge a complaint to the Prosecutor General about the regional prosecutor's statements 12.01.2006. The lawyers of Stanislaw Dmitrievsky in the criminal case are going to lodge a complaint about the statements that the prosecutor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Vladimir Demidov made yesterday in regard to the court proceedings against the chief editor of the “Pravo-zaschita” newspaper Stanislaw Dmitrievsky. The complaint will be sent to the Prosecutor General in the nearest days. Yury Sidorov defending Dmitrievsky in the criminal proceedings stated it in his conversation with a RCIA correspondent. In the lawyer's opinion, the fact that the prosecutor expressed his certainty about Dmitrievsky's conviction connected with his imprisonment can be regarded as imposing pressure upon the court. The court debates are to start on 18 January at 10 am in the building of Sovetsky district court of Nizhny Novgorod. We have to remind that Nizhny Novgorod Telegraph Agency (NTA) disseminated their report yesterday in concern with the statements made by the regional prosecutor Vladimir Demidov. The NTA journalist Lybov Kovalyova reports the regional prosecutor as stating, “We are going to press for the measures of the criminal responsibility to be applied against Dmitirevsky. Stanislaw Dmitrievsky published his open letter addressed to Vladimir Demidov (see our previous report). The open letter was lodged to the prosecutor's office and registered at 3 pm today. Editor in Chief Stanislav Dmitrievski. Editor of this release is Oksana Chelysheva. Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 949 Residents of Achkhoy-Martan district center have been released after their arbitrarily detention On 9 January 2006 the editorial office of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society got information about the release of three residents of the Achkhoy-Martan district center after their abduction perpetrated by unidentifiable armed people on January 4, 2006. All the men were taken away from their houses. According to the released men, they were kept in detention in the premises of Achkhoy-Martan district police office all that time. The force agents reportedly tried to establish their involvement into activities of the so-called illegal armed formations. After the police established their non-involvement into armed activities of the Chechen fighters, they were released. RCIA reported earlier that on 4 January 2006 a group of about sixteen armed men moving around in four vehicles abducted three residents of Achkhoy-Martan district center, including Akhmed Khaytaev (born 1972), Mamed Khaytaev (born 1978) and Al'vi Takhaev (born 1979) (the details of the abduction are O.R. from 04.01.2006). (From our correspondent) Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 948 Resident of Achkhoy-Martan district center has been killed On 05.01.2006 local people discovered a male corpse at the edge of the village of Yandi-Koatr (Orekhovo) of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district. Later the corpse was identified as Sultan Astarkhanov (born 1947), a resident of Achkhoy-Martan district center where the man lived at the address 5 Pochtovaya St., ap. 6. The man disappeared on 31 December 2005 after he had driven away in his car. The body bears numerous knife wounds. The service personnel of Achkhoy-Martan district center have managed to find the “Volga” car that belonged to Astarkhanov. According to the preliminary information, three men were detained when they were moving around in this car. At present, they are being interrogated. (From our correspondent) Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 947 Group of Chechen combatants has been liquidated in the village of Bamut On 07.01.2006 police force conducted the search operation at the south-western outskirts of the village of Bamut of the Chechen Achkhoy-Martan district when they came across a group of Chechen fighters who were hiding in the destroyed building of the former polyclinic. After the combatants launched fire at the police, a skirmish started in which all the four combatants were killed. The police seized submachine-guns and ammunition at the site. (From our correspondent) Moskow Report # 946 The wounded Chechen girl is going to be operated on in Moscow On 10 January 2006 Zareta Suleymanova (born 1986), a resident of the village of Tazen-Kala of the Chechen Vedeno district, was hospitalized to the Burdenko Research Institute of Neurosurgery at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Moscow). Zareta Suleymanova is suffering from serious after-effects of the wound that she received in December last year when a Russian military helicopter launched a missile attack and a missile struck the house where Zareta and her brothers were sleeping. Sareta's younger brother Saydan died from the wounds on the spot. The girl received bad wounds at her head (see our release No1046 from 14.12.2004). She was taken to Grozny hospital #9 where doctors saved the girl's life but they didn't manage to save her injured left eye. Zareta was examined by the deputy director of Burdenko Institute Alexander Potapov and he took a decision to take the girl to hospital on 10 January 2006 (see O.R. from No1641 13.12.2005). The girl's treatment has become possible thanks to the funds collected by the “Build” magazine (Germany). It took the readers of the magazine several months to raise the necessary sum. The project is being coordinated by the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society. (From our correspondent) Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 945 The head of Achkho-Martan district administration was beaten up at the New Year Eve At night from 31 December 2005 to 1 January 2006 the head of Achkhoy-Martan district administration Musa Dadaev got serious injuries in the scuffle that started after a quarrel with a serviceman of the Anti-Terror Center. It is reported that he hit Dadaev twice at his head with the butt of his submachine gun. According to the information that needs to be confirmed, the ATC serviceman was detained and later died after he had been subjected to beating up. (From our correspondent) Achkhoy-Martan district. Chechen Republic Report # 943 Three men are abducted in Achkhoy-Martan: the law-enforcement agencies refuse to take the reports from their relatives On 4 January 2006 at about 6.20 am unidentified armed people abducted three residents of Achkhoy-Martan district center from their houses. The service personnel of the district prosecutor’s and police offices have refused to take the reports that the abducted people’s relatives were going to submit. All the abductions were perpetrated by a group of armed people in camouflage moving around in four vehicles. There were some sixteen people in the group. The victims’ relatives have managed to remember the makes and some parts of the state license numbers. There were a 7th model Zhiguli car (license number 742) and a 9th model Zhiguli car (license number 924). All the abducted people lived in houses situated in Polezhaev Lane. Khaytaev Akhmed (born 1972) and Khaytaev Mamed (born 1978) were snatched away from house No 3. Akhmed is a serviceman of the district military commandant’s office and the younger brother is a construction worker. Takhaev Alvi (born 1979) was taken away from house No 16. He also worked on building sites. The same day the abducted men’s relatives came to the local police and prosecutor’s offices of Achkhoy-Martan and Sunzha districts to lodge their reports on the abductions. In their reports they gave descriptions of the perpetrators and their vehicles. However, the servicemen of these law-enforcement agencies refused to take their reports. The victims’ relatives assume that the police know who perpetrated the crime and where the abducted people are being kept. They are absolutely sure that the enforced disappearances were committed by the state agents. (From our correspondent) http://www.ria.hrnnov.ru/eng/index.php |