Abubakar Yangulbaev, rights defender, reports kidnapping his relatives in Chechnya

A total of 37 relatives have been kidnapped by Chechen law enforcers and kept for two days at ROVDs (District Interior Divisions), Abubakar Yangulbaev, a rights defender from the Committee against Torture (CaT) has informed.

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.

"All whom I know of my relatives living in Chechnya have been kidnapped and are kept in custody for more than two days," Mr Yangulbaev told the "Caucasian Knot".

His seven maternal relatives have been kidnapped and 30 paternal ones. There are women and children among the detainees, Abubakar has specified. According to his story, among his kidnapped maternal relatives, the Musaevs, there are two men and five women. On the part of Yangulbaev's father 15 women and 15 men have been kidnapped.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 25, 2021 at 06:04 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.