Emigrant Aslan Artsuev reports kidnapping of his relatives in Chechnya

Aslan Artsuev, the director of the organization "Human Rights Centre Ichkeria", has stated that Chechen authorities are trying to exert pressure on him by kidnapping four relatives, but this won't affect his political position and actions.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 22, Minkail Malizaev, a blogger, who criticizes Chechen authorities, also reported about kidnapping of his relatives, while Tumso Abdurakhmanov, another blogger, posted information that a similar fate had befallen the relatives of Mansur Sadulaev, the founder of the "Vayfond" Association. On December 24, Khasan Khalitov, a blogger, who lives in Turkey, reported about kidnapping of at least five his relatives living in Northern Caucasus. On December 22, nine relatives of Tumso Abdurakhmanov were kidnapped; later, six of them were released, but on December 24, it became known about the abduction of his wife's female relatives.

Aslan Artsuev, the director of the organization "Human Rights Centre Ichkeria", who lives in Hamburg, reported the kidnapping of his four relatives. According to his story, his uncle, two cousins, and also a second cousin had been detained. He has noted that his relatives are in Grozny kept as hostages by law enforcers.

Aslan has treated them as "former relatives." "I've refused from them, among other things, because of different political views; for many years, I had no relations with them. They can detain all my relatives, from children to the elderly, but I'll do what I'm doing – conveying the truth; and only the physical elimination can somehow stop me," Mr Artsuev has summed up.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 24, 2021 at 10:34 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.