HRC "Memorial"* asks to check information about kidnappings of relatives of Kadyrov's critics

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* has sent requests to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) demanding to prosecute those responsible for the kidnappings of relatives of Chechen bloggers and activists.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 22-24, the critics of Chechen authorities, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, Minkail Malizaev and Khasan Khalitov, reported about the kidnappings of their relatives living in Chechnya; it was also reported about the kidnapping of relatives of Mansur Sadulaev, the founder of the "Vayfond" Association, and of Aslan Artsuev, the director of the organization "Human Rights Centre Ichkeria". On December 25, it became known about the kidnapping of 37 relatives of Abubakar Yangulbaev, a lawyer of the "Committee against Torture" (CaT); later some of them were released. Ramzan Kadyrov has expressed a version that "someone from those who were insulted by the bloggers was involved in the kidnappings."

Since December 22, more than 60 relatives of the oppositional bloggers and human rights defenders living abroad have been kidnapped, as well as relatives of the CaT's lawyer, Abubakar Yangulbaev, who lives in Russia.

"Some of the kidnapped relatives were released after receiving threats and through humiliation obtaining their promise to urge their relatives lining abroad to stop their activities that Kadyrov did not like. The fate of the other abducted is unknown ... The alleged kidnappers have told Abdurakhmanov in SMS messages that the kidnapped persons had been tortured. Sadulaev was demanded by phone to stop his public criticism of the Chechen leadership," says the message.