21:12, 26 December 2023

Chechen boxer Umar Salamov released after being kidnapped in Alkhan-Kala

Umar Salamov. Screenshot of the video https://www.instagram.com/umarsalamov95 *the activities of the Meta Company, owning Instagram, are banned in Russia

Law enforcers released boxer Umar Salamov, who was kidnapped in January together with residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala. Most of the kidnapped people were convicted under the article of participation in an illegal armed formation (IAF) and are serving their sentences, the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights reported.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that World and European Boxing Champion Umar Salamov was kidnapped by law enforcers together with residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala in the Grozny District of Chechnya. Umar Salamov was not charged with aiding and abetting militants, Oleg Orlov and Oyub Titiev report. On April 24, the human rights defenders reported that at least 25 residents of the village of Alkhan-Kala were being kept in temporary detention facilities in Chechnya on the charges of involvement in militant groupings.

Mass kidnappings in Alkhan-Kala began on January 7, a volunteer of the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights found out. According to the source, law enforcers took people away from the village to some unknown destination.

Umar Salamov was released on the night of November 1. According to sources in Chechnya, in the first months after his kidnapping, Umar Salamov was subjected to torture and humiliation.

Most of those kidnapped after being held in an illegal prison were charged with organizing an illegal armed formation or participating in it and sentenced to terms ranging from 2 years 6 months to 10 years of imprisonment, the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights reported.

Family members refused to communicate with the human rights defenders for fear of worsening the situation of their relatives.

In his Telegram channel, Ramzan Kadyrov mentioned Umar Salamov at least twice. So, on December 1, 2018, when commenting on the boxer’s victory in the fight with Emanuel Anim, during which Umar Salamov defended his WBO INTERNATIONAL titles, Ramzan Kadyrov noted that Umar Salamov “once again proved that he is one of the invincible athletes in his weight category.”

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 26, 2023 at 09:01 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot