26 March 2021, 22:17
Instagram users: authorities attack Gezmakhmaev to divert people’s attention from extrajudicial executions
The Chechen “Grozny” TV Channel released another video reporting that Suleiman Gezmakhmaev left Chechnya after borrowing a large amount of money. The authorities of the republic describe Suleiman Gezmakhmaev as a dishonest person addicted to drugs, but in fact, they do not respond to his testimonies about the killings committed by law enforcers, Internet users note.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 24, an uncle of Suleiman Gezmakhmaev reported that his nephew used psychotropic substances and fled Russia, while owing large amounts of money. The Chechen authorities have launched a PR campaign against Suleiman Gezmakhmaev, since they have no real grounds to institute a criminal case against him and cannot refute his information about extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders believe.
Ali Gataev, a resident of Achkhoi-Martan, demanded from relatives of Suleiman Gezmakhmaev to return the money that he allegedly took from him using fraud. The “Grozny” TV Channel associated the Suleiman Gezmakhmaev's leaving with his problems.
“The Chechen authorities are using a very old scheme to defame a person who spoke about extrajudicial executions. They say that the person who reported about the extrajudicial executions is a drinker who took money from someone and did not return it,” said Igor Kalyapin.
Earlier, videos with the participation of other residents of Chechnya have appeared on the Internet. In particular, the above residents stated that Suleiman Gezmakhmaev took money from them for the treatment of his sick daughter and then disappeared.
User goluboglazaya_kolyuchka notes that the “victims” appeared only after Suleiman Gezmakhmaev reported about the extrajudicial executions.
The authorities are trying to divert attention from the revelations, which may provoke wide public outcry, user hamza_magomedovich emphasizes.
People are forced to make “confessions” in front of a video camera, user elizabethh23 notes.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 26, 2021 at 03:28 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
