Chechen residents outraged by no reaction from authorities to death of Uspanov detained after terror act at Crocus City Hall

The effectiveness of the investigation into the death of Askhab Uspanov is questionable, since the Chechen authorities ignored what happened, human rights defenders emphasize. Blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov noted that Ombudsman Mansur Soltaev voiced a statement about Askhab Uspanov’s death primarily to avoid any connection between Chechnya and the terror act at the Crocus City Hall. In their comments, social media users agreed that Mansur Soltaev was not interested in any investigation into Askhab Uspanov’s death.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Askhab Uspanov was detained in Moscow after the terror act at the Crocus City Hall concert hall and died several hours later in a police department. According to his mother’s version, Askhab Uspanov was tortured before his death. Telegram channels opposed to the authorities of Chechnya posted a video showing signs of injuries on the body of the young man. Chechen Ombudsman Mansur Soltaev claimed that Askhab Uspanov’s detention was not related to the terror act at the Crocus City Hall and that the law enforcement bodies considered his death a suicide. The version of suicide is absurd, human rights defenders suggest.

Askhab Uspanov’s death attracted people’s attention not only in Chechnya, believes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

“I know well what torture and signs of torture mean, including broken ribs, bruises, back, spine,” Ruslan Kutaev noted.

He emphasizes that any native of Chechnya excludes suicide as a solution to the problem.

Askhab Uspanov’s death is still in the centre of public attention, suggests a human rights defender from the “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence*. He believes that in addition to videos and photos that exclude the version of suicide, there is another important circumstance for a Muslim: a Muslim cannot commit suicide.

The human rights defender also states that the authorities of Chechnya showed no interest in any investigation into the Askhab Uspanov’s death, as “no one saw any reaction other than the statement voiced by Mansur Soltaev.”

The task of the Chechen authorities is, first of all, to dismiss any suspicions of any Chechen’s involvement in the terror act at the Crocus City Hall, blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov notes in his Telegram channel.

*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of “inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces.”