Residents of Chechnya tell about new wave of teens' detentions

After the recent series of attacks on policemen, law enforcers took teenagers straight from the streets and conducted many-hours-long interrogations of them, residents of the Shali District of Chechnya have reported. According to their estimates, from 150 to 200 people were detained.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 20, attacks were committed on law enforcers in the Shali District of Chechnya and in Grozny. According to law enforcers, four out of five militants were killed, and the fifth one was wounded in an attempt of self-explosion and later died in hospital. On August 21, the resources supporting the "Islamic State" (IS), a terrorist organization, banned in Russia by the court, posted a video with the oath of the teens-participants in the attacks on law enforcers.

"New detentions of adolescents were held on August 23-25. Law enforcers travelled along the streets and took away all those who were familiar, studied together or lived in the neighbourhood with (the attackers). Detainees were taken to the ROVD, interrogated, and released only late at night. Nobody explained anything; it all boiled down to the fact that there is an order from above to check adolescents for their possible involvement in the [grouping]," said Akhmad, a resident of Shali.

All in all, after the attacks on policemen in the Shali District, law enforcers detained from 150 to 200 people, locals told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The "Caucasian Knot" is not able to verify the accuracy of these calculations. According to a source from the Chechen MIA, these were operative and preventive measures, and certain investigative actions.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 27, 2018 at 01:52 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.