04 February 2004, 12:09
Red Cross calls for release of employee abducted in Chechnya
On 2 February 2004, it was six months since the day when Usman Saidaliev, a Chechen employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Grozny, had been abducted from his home during the night by unidentified armed men. Since then neither Usman's family nor the ICRC have had any news of his whereabouts.
The ICRC delegation in the Russian Federation expresses its solidarity with Usman's family.
The ICRC calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Usman Saidaliev and wishes to stress that the abduction of civilians is prohibited under international humanitarian law. The ICRC is also deeply concerned about the safety of the civilian population in Chechnya.
Source: International Committee of the Red Cross