The Georgian Times Politics  Article data: 12.09.03 

Disappeared Chechen found in Georgian prison

The Chechen family of the detained person immigrated to Europe.

By Keti Lomaia

An unprecedented fact of law violation was performed by the Georgian power structures. We have learned that the power structures trying t avoid the problems with the Strasbourg Court freed the Chechen national, Hussein Yusupov, which was secretly imprisoned a year ago. The motive of his arrest is yet unknown. As for letting him out of the prison, nobody wants to talk about it.

Hussein Yusupov, 21, was arrested in Akhmeta on September 5, 2002 by the Georgian power structures for illegally crossing the Georgian state border. After holding him illegally for 48 hours, the mother of the Hussein, Aiban Yusupova, learned about the fact of arrest of her son and went to the Security Ministry anti-terrorist center located on Kavtaradze Street, Tbilisi. There the representatives of the power structures told her that the files found in the laptop of Hussein proved his links with terrorist organizations. Hussein was discharged of the charges of illegally crossing the border because he and his mother had legal IDs given to them by the Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Immigration. At the 5th day of Hussein's arrest one investigator called up the cell phone of Aiban, who at the time was standing in front of the anti-terrorist center and let her know that charges against her son were dismissed. He promised Aiban to return her son home. Later on, Hussein called his mother and repeated the words of the investigator. He calmed down his mother saying that in case he missed Aiban anywhere at the entrance of the center he would meet her at his cousin's house. During the next 24 hours, Aiban waited for her son in vain. For one year since that day, her son never came out of the center building. In October, Aiban Yusupova addressed Lia Mukhashavria, advocate, for assistance in finding her son.

In January 2003 Aiban Yusupova came to the office of the Georgian Times. It was not possible to arrange the journalistic investigation, for the mother of Hussein gave us the whole information and necessary documents herself. These were the official letters written to her by the power structures of Georgia. These letters all as one said that Hussein Yusupov was freed from the anti-terrorist center and the structures did not know his current location. "While talking to me in person, they told me that my son was afraid of being publicly known as a terrorist, so he decided to vaporize and immigrate to some foreign country," said Aiban while talking to the GT. This very time  the information spread that Georgia secretly handed the US side 11 people, who were suspected in having ties with terrorists. Aiban was almost sure that her son was among the extradited Chechens. She together with her supporters staged a protest rally in front of the US Embassy in Tbilisi and wrote a personal letter to George Bush,  president of US. She tried everything but nothing came out of it. She was not even able to learn whether those 11 people were really handed to the US side.

Aiban Yusupova, with the help of Lia Mukhashavria forwarded the case of disappearance of her son to the Strasbourg International Court of Human Rights. The relative of Aiban, who wished not to be named, provided the GT with exclusive information.

Respodent: Aiban was contacted by the cell phone and asked for a deal. Yusupova was to withdraw her case sent to Strasbourg in exchange for returning her son alive. Also the power structure representatives told her that in case of cooperation she would meet her son on the territory of Azerbaijan. They were to never return to Georgia again. Certainly, Aiban agreed with all their demands. On September 3, Hussein and Aiban met each other in Azerbaijan. Hussein was almost in a shock and all were tired. He had a long beard and asked his mother not to question him about the year that he spent in prison. He did not want to remember the period of his imprisonment. Since that time, Aiban, who is my cousin, contacted me once and told me that the psychological state of Hussein is astonishing for he had to live in inhuman conditions in prison. She also said that they were flying to Europe. However, she did not mention where exactly.

The GT addressed Lia Mukhashavria for more detailed information about the case.

LM: Unfortunately, we were practically unable to help Aiban. We addressed the anti-terrorist center of the Georgian Security Ministry and requested them to show us all the documentation that was drafted on the person of Hussein Yusupov. They replied that Hussein's charges were dismissed and freed and no documentation of his was held in the anti-terrorist center any longer. When Yusupova found her son, she  did not contact us, for the people who returned her son warned her to keep this information secret. I can assure you that Aiban really found her son, however, I have no information about the details of their meeting. What I know from friends is that Hussein is almost in a shock condition from the inhuman conditions he was kept in prison. According to spread information, Hussein was released from prison only because the power structures did not want the case to be initiated against them in the Strasbourg court. I did not believe this version for we sent the case to Strasbourg in October. The Strasbourg court knew about disappearance of Hussein a month after he disappeared. As far as I know, mother and son Yusupovs are current in Europe and do not tell about their exact location even to their relatives.

The GT contacted Aslanbek Abdurzakov, protector of human rights, who has tried to find Hussein for a year.

HA: I can tell you for sure that Aiban found her son alive. I cannot tell you exactly where Hussein was kept during the whole year. However, I am sure that such things are performed by the security  bodies. I really desire much to know where he was held during this year. What I can tell you for sure is that you will not be able to learn about the location where Yusupov was held from anyone.