Rights defenders treat 1Adat's data on kidnappings in Chechnya as realistic

The data about kidnapping of 53 persons by Chechen law enforcers within a month need to be confirmed, but they don't look overstated, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the 1Adat movement had counted 53 kidnapped persons in Chechnya since start of September, of whom, according to the movement, at least one was killed and 20 others released.

The 1Adat data fails to present the full picture; and in reality there are more kidnappings, the administrator of the 1Adat Telegram Channel told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, information about kidnappings is obtained, as a rule, not from victims' relatives, but from other sources.

Oleg Orlov, a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", found the figures voiced by 1Adat to be realistic. "I don't exclude that these figures may be real. The fact is that we are trying to check some reports of the 1Adat about kidnappings and murders. But, unfortunately, we have not yet been able to find indisputable evidence that all this took place. Now, it's difficult to work in Chechnya, not being able to openly go there and interrogate local residents. Therefore, I don't rule out that the data is real, but I cannot confirm this yet," Mr Orlov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Oyub Titiev, an activist of the HRC "Memorial" and of the "Civil Assistance" Committee, also believes that the 1Adat's figures are realistic. "We know perfectly well that anything can be there. But the problem is that there is no confirmation of these facts," Mr Titiev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 1, 2020 at 07:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.