During a live broadcast, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov commented on the case of political prisoner Zarema Musayeva—the wife of federal judge Saidi Yangulbayev and mother of opposition activists Abubakar, Ibrahim, and Baysangur Yangulbayev. He claimed the woman was "taken" to Chechnya because her family members "worked on social media." A relevant excerpt from the broadcast was published by Chechen opposition blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov.
Lawyers of the "Team Against Torture" managed to get a short meeting with the Human Rights Ombudsman in Chechnya, Mansur Soltayev. As Ekaterina Vanslova, an employee of the organization, noted, no one understood what role the HRO apparatus plays in protecting human rights. Mansur Soltaev only stated that in the Chechen Republic human rights are now "at the highest level."
“To questions about complaints from citizens about torture in the region and the reaction to them, Soltaev replied that he fully trusted the results of official investigations and his function was to transfer information to the relevant authorities,” Vanslova said.
When asked by an employee of the “Team Against Torture” about what kind of assistance he is ready to provide during a visit to the region by journalist Elena Milashina, Soltaev replied: “If I am at home, then no problem. If I'm not at home - well, I don't know, sorry." Regarding the beating of Nikita Zhuravel in the Grozny pre-trial detention center, the Ombudsman said that he did not have competent information and that the investigating authorities "would look into it."
Recall that on July 4, about 10-15 masked men attacked journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov on the way from the airport in Grozny. They were on their way to the announcement of the verdict in the case of Zarema Musayeva, who was sentenced to five and a half years on trumped-up charges. Both victims received serious injuries.
Also in Chechnya, another serious act of human rights violations has recently taken place. Student Nikita Zhuravel, who was arrested in the case of burning the Koran, was beaten in the Grozny pre-trial detention center. This was done by one of the sons of Ramzan Kadyrov - Adam. This action was approved by Kadyrov's closest associates - Adam Delimkhanov, Magomed Daudov and others.