Human rights defenders urge to make public kidnappings of Chechen residents

After a special operation in Grozny, law enforcers kidnapped at least seven persons, but their relatives did not file any complaints to the police, authors of the 1Adat Telegram Channel stated. In Chechnya, people are afraid to file complaints to the police and seek legal aid, which only harm their relatives and friends, say human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 14, a resident of the Aldy village claimed that law enforcers had detained an owner of the house where a counterterrorist operation (CTO) had been conducted the day before.

After the special operation conducted on October 13, at least seven persons were kidnapped, state the authors of the anonymous 1Adat Telegram Channel. According to them, only two detainees were set free.

The 1Adat Movement states that in September alone, law enforcers kidnapped 53 residents of Chechnya, of whom, according to the movement, at least one was killed and 20 others were released.

The fear of harming detainees is the main reason why residents of Chechnya are afraid to address human rights defenders, believes Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance Committee".

The human rights defender suggests that the law enforcement bodies benefit from the silence of ordinary people. "Of course, this helps law enforcers in their unlawful activities. They turn out to be completely immune in all their actions," Svetlana Gannushkina emphasizes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 23, 2020 at 02:37 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.