Disappeared Grozny resident Akhmed Kabilov found in SIZO

Akhmed Kabilov, a resident of the capital of Chechnya, who was detained on December 29, 2020, is found at a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Grozny. He is charged under the article on illegal possession of weapons, the HRC "Memorial"* reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 12, the human rights defenders reported about a complaint from relatives of Akhmed Kabilov, a 27-year-old resident of the Zavodskoi District of Grozny, about his detention by the police, after which he disappeared.

A mother of Akhmed Kabilov said that on January 20, she got a call from a woman who identified herself as an advocate invited to defend Akhmed and said that the man was being kept at the SIZO-1 in Grozny and was charged with possession of weapons, the HRC "Memorial"* reports today.

On January 22, the Zavodskoi District Court of Grozny arrested Akhmed Kabilov. His family members saw him at the courtroom for the first time after he had been kidnapped. After Akhmed Kabilov was found, his relatives stopped contacting the human rights defenders, the HRC "Memorial"* reports.

The relatives of the detainee fear to harm him by their appeal to the human rights defenders, notes Oleg Orlov, a member of the Council of the HRC "Memorial"*. "Residents of Chechnya most often prefer not to complain, but to hope for a not the worst outcome. This way of inaction can be compared to 'behaviour of a rabbit in front of a boa constrictor," Oleg Orlov said.

* HRC "Memorial" is recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 2, 2021 at 03:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.