Tepsurkaev Senior's video increases chances of impunity for Salman's kidnappers

Salman Tepsurkaev's father can hope for security as long as he cooperates with the authorities, but the threat to him and other family members remains, human rights defenders believe. Shirvani Tepsurkaev (the father) wants to stop talks about Salman; therefore, he would not have recorded a new video of his own free will, Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, is sure.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in his new video message, Tepsurkaev Senior (the father) has urged to "close the topic" with his son, saying that he had no claims to the authorities. He was forced to record the video because the information appeared that two Salman's kidnappers had been identified, the authors of the 1Adat Telegram Channel are sure.

The new appeal of Shirvani Tepsurkaev appeared exactly when investigators had decided to interrogate Salman's relatives, said Dmitry Piskunov, a lawyer of the Committee against Torture (CaT). The chances of clarifying Salman's fate are dwindling; and his father's new appeal in this regard is alarming, he said.

Chechen authorities are sheltering Salman's kidnappers; therefore, the new Shirvani's appeal was released right now, says Oleg Orlov, a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", admitting that cooperation with authorities often allows residents of Chechnya to avoid danger. "The father made this appeal in the hope that, perhaps, his son would be released and his second son would not be touched, as well as his other relatives," Mr Orlov has explained.

Everything that the Tepsurkaevs are saying or doing now has been staged by the authorities, the Chechen blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, is sure. According to his version, the Tepsurkaevs' house is under round-the-clock surveillance.