Journalists ignore Tumso's request to ask Putin about kidnappings in Chechnya

Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a Chechen blogger, had asked journalists to ask Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at his annual press conference held on December 23, about kidnappings of relatives, but this issue was not raised there.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 22, opposition blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov reported about the kidnapping of his relatives living in Chechnya. On the same day, blogger Minkail Malizaev, known for criticizing the Chechen authorities, announced the kidnapping of his relatives in Chechnya, and Tumso Abdurakhmanov posted information that a similar fate befell relatives of Mansur Sadulaev, a founder of the “Vayfond”. Tumso posted a screenshot of a message with threats to the life of his kidnapped relatives if he fails to post a video with apologies to Kadyrov within 24 hours.

Tumso Abdurakhmanov had called on the journalists who would attend the annual Vladimir Putin's press conference on December 23 to ask him about kidnappings of relatives of oppositionists in Chechnya. "Journalists, ask Putin about our innocent relatives who had been taken hostage in Chechnya and are being tortured right now on order to intimidate Kadyrov's critics," says the Tumso's message posted in his Telegram channel.

The press conference of Vladimir Putin lasted for 3 hours and 56 minutes; the head of state answered 55 questions. As follows from the broadcast of Channel One, the question about kidnappings of relatives of Abdurakhmanov and Malizaev in Chechnya was not asked.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 23, 2021 at 04:52 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.