Kadyrov's words underscored the political nature of Musayeva's persecution

Kadyrov's statement that Zarema Musayeva was detained because of the Yangulbayev family's work on social media confirms the political nature of her persecution, but in the current reality, the Chechen leader's confession will not lead to a review of Musayeva's sentences, human rights activists noted.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," the prosecution requested a four-year prison sentence for Musayeva for disrupting the work of a penal colony. The Shali Court in Chechnya  sentenced  Zarema Musayeva to three years and 11 months in prison for assaulting a security officer. Her defense has appealed the verdict. She will serve a total of four years in a penal colony, with one month remaining on her previous sentence. The prosecution's case about Zarema Musayeva's attack on a penal colony employee is based solely on his testimony; witnesses have not confirmed her guilt, the defense stated, demanding  their client be acquitted. In her final statement, Musayeva denied her guilt and asked not to be sent to the penal colony where she served her first sentence, as she  fears  for her life. 

During a live broadcast on December 14, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov "exposed himself," according to Tumso Abdurakhmanov*, a critic of the Chechen government based abroad . "Kadyrov suddenly remembered the Yangulbayevs and claimed that the entire family had been working against him (Kadyrov), that they were found, and he sent police after them. The mother was brought in, but the father fled. Everything would be fine, but the fact is that Zarema Musayeva was kidnapped under the pretext of being a witness in a criminal fraud case. She was then accused of assaulting an employee and imprisoned," he wrote on his Telegram channel on December 14, attaching a fragment of Kadyrov's speech in Chechen.

"We found the father, mother, and brother—all of them—working on social media. Then we followed them to Russia and took the woman. The husband fled. If he had been brave, he would have come with his wife," Kadyrov said.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov told the truth about the reason for Zarema Musayeva's detention, noted Sergei Babinets, head  of the Anti-Torture Committee* .

"What we've been saying since day one, the head of Chechnya only dared to say nearly four years later: Zarema Musayeva's case is purely political in nature. It's not the fraud or the assault on a law enforcement officer  for which she was convicted, but her sons' online activity. This activity, I remind you, included criticism of the leadership of the Chechen Republic,"  he emphasized.

According to the human rights activist, after such a self-incriminating statement by the head of the region, as required by law, the competent authorities should decide on his questioning regarding the facts presented during the direct line and decide on the issue of reviewing Musaeva's case.

"However, I doubt that in the current circumstances, even high-ranking representatives of the security forces would have the courage to question Ramzan Kadyrov," Babinets concluded.

Svetlana  Gannushkina,  chair of the Civic Assistance Committee*  , confirmed that this type of admission by Kadyrov indicates political motives for Musayeva's persecution.

"What happened to her is worse than politically motivated persecution. It's revenge against her sons and husband.  It's a settling of personal scores," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The human rights activist believes that it is impossible to ensure the safety  of activists and human rights defenders  from those who act in such an unlawful manner. 

"If the judge-husband had followed his wife, Kadyrov would have had two hostages instead of one. The problem is, he should have guarded and hidden his family better. But  Ramzan Kadyrov's regime  has complete freedom to do whatever he (Ramzan) pleases. They understand this, they're used to it, and they behave accordingly throughout Russia," Gannushkina* explained .

Zarema Musayeva is the wife of former federal judge Saidi Yangulbayev. Chechen security forces took her away from her apartment in Nizhny Novgorod on January 20, 2022. Afterward,  Ramzan Kadyrov  accused the Yangulbayev family of organizing a terrorist network and declared that their destination was "prison or underground."

You can read about Kadyrov's conflict with the Yangulbaevs in the "Caucasian Knot" reports " How the Yangulbaevs Became Kadyrov's Enemies " and " The Main Thing About Kadyrov's Struggle with the Yangulbaevs ."

* listed as a foreign agent.

** Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.