The Chechen opposition movement NIYSO has alleged that two residents of Achkhoi-Martan in Chechnya — Timur Gaisaev and his son Magomed — were abducted by security personnel. The activists claim that the pair are being held for ransom, and if their family refuses to pay, the two will face charges of terrorism and extremism.
According to the NIYSO, officers from the Shali district police department initially detained Timur Gaisaev and then contacted his 22-year-old son, instructing him to come to the police department. NIYSO says that both men were then taken into police custody.
According to the movement, relatives of the Gaisaevs were told to pay an ‘enormous ransom’ for the men’s release. NIYSO further claims that security personnel threatened to initiate criminal proceedings against the two men on extremism and terrorism-related charges if the family refused to comply.
There has been no independent confirmation of these claims as of publication.
‘Abductions by Russian officers take place literally like those carried out by a criminal gang. Without observing any of the procedural norms they are obliged to follow under their own regulations, they abduct innocent people. Some are taken from their homes at night, others are seized in broad daylight on the street,’ NIYSO wrote.
NIYSO regularly reports alleged abductions, extrajudicial detentions, and pressure on residents of Chechnya. Some of these reports have later been confirmed, while others have not been independently verified.
In April, NIYSO reported a new wave of mass detentions and raids across Chechnya. According to the movement, information about the incidents had been received from several districts of the republic. NIYSO activists additionally stated that relatives of the detainees were threatened with ‘never seeing their loved ones again’.
Prior to that, in March, the movement reported the abduction of two Chechen residents following a conflict with police officers. According to NIYSO, both men were later released and published social media messages thanking Adam Kadyrov, the son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, for securing their release.
In February, NIYSO alleged that a series of abductions took place in Chechnya, where relatives of those kidnapped were reportedly asked for ransom money or were pressured to fight in Ukraine. According to the movement, some of those abducted were subsequently forcefully conscripted.
Elizaveta Chukharova
One of the most recent cases of alleged unlawful detention involved Belkisa Mintsaeva, who travelled to Chechnya in an attempt to regain custody of her children and then disappeared from contact for more than six weeks after being detained by security forces. Following appeals by human rights activists to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the launch of an official review, Chechen authorities published a video featuring Mintsaeva but did not explain why she had been out of contact for more than six weeks.
The Chechen authorities have consistently rejected allegations of unlawful detentions and abductions. Officials in the republic generally maintain that all actions by security forces are carried out in accordance with the law.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Chechnya designated NIYSO an extremist organisation.
