10:17, 5 September 2016

Ruslan Martagov speaks on air of Chechen TV to apologize for his disappearance

On September 4, the "Grozny" TV Channel presented a report with the participation of political analyst Ruslan Martagov, who explained his disappearance by his visit to a friend. Local observers do not rule out that the report could be staged.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 4, it became known that the political analyst returned home. This was reported by Elena Milashina, a correspondent of the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta". She noted that "at home, investigators were waiting for him, since they were apparently already aware that he would be released."

In the early 1990s, Ruslan Martagov was in opposition to Djokhar Dudaev. He was a member of the armed movement against the separatist course of Ichkeria. Ruslan Martagov criticized Ramzan Kadyrov and stood against the practice of intimidation of human rights defenders and journalists in the republic.

In the material presented by the "Grozny" TV Channel, Ruslan Martagov states that the story of his disappearance was just a concourse of circumstances.

"It is clear that Ruslan Martagov did not visit his 'old friend' and that he did have serious problems," believes a leader of a local NGO.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has repeatedly reported about public repentance voiced through the media by people who criticized the Chechen authorities.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Source: CK correspondents