May 18, 2001

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At 0500, Russian units cordoned off the entire perimeter of the village of Serzhen-Yurt in the Shali district. Armored vehicles were posted near each intersection in the village. Having finished the preparations, the military began to enter in advance, apparently, the planned houses and grab their tenants. At the same time, weapons were used at least once.

In particular, on A. Sheripov street (eastern part of the village) they shot at 28-year-old Aslan Askharov, who came out to meet them. After he fell, he was picked up from the ground and carried away. In the nearest houses they detained two relatives of this man: Sharani Askharovs, born in 1956, and Yunus, born in 1963, as well as his neighbor Musa Rashidov, born in 1964. Then, having put bags on their heads, they beat them with rifle butts. The arrest was made by military men in masks and camouflage uniforms without insignia. They left Serzhen-Yurt in armored personnel carriers no. 714 and 224 and a Ural car with registration plate 76–46 VA.

In another part of the settlement, Abubakar and Magomed Saidulaev, born in 1966 and 1971, were imprisoned in an armored personnel carrier. The latter was taken only because he dared to ask why his older brother was being taken away. Zelimkhan Zayrkhanov, born in 1942, and his sons: Ibrahim, born in 1978, and Timur, born in 1984, were also detained there. The youngest of them studied in the 9th grade of the local school. However, it was his military who were accused of participating in "illegal armed formations."

According to unconfirmed information, a total of 9 (according to other sources - 14) people were detained in Serzhen-Yurt that morning. When it turned out that they had been taken to Shali, their relatives followed them. In the military commandant's office of the district, where they turned first of all, they were told that by 16.00, after the identity of the detainees had been ascertained, all those not involved in the actions of the CRI armed formations would be released. But the relatives did not disperse, remaining to wait for release at the gates of the commandant's office. After some time, an armored personnel carrier drove out of there. And after some time, fellow villagers came to the waiting people and reported that the body of Aslan Askharov had been found. As it turned out, in a wasteland near a gas station not far from the road to Shali, he was thrown out of an armored car that had left the territory of the commandant's office.

After the military left this place, bystanders of the crime came closer and found the dead man. They took him home, and then informed his relatives, who were still in front of the district commandant's office, about the terrible discovery.

It is not known exactly what caused the death of this man. But obviously not from
gunshot wound inflicted during arrest. On the body of the victim, in addition to the bullet hole, numerous traces of beatings and torture were recorded. He was scalped, his teeth pulled out and his fingers crushed.

Other detainees also had to endure torture. When by the end of the same day
thrown into the field between Shali and Serzhen-Yurt, many were not even able to stand on their feet. Of these, only Magomed Saidulaev, with a craniocerebral injury, concussion and broken ribs, managed to crawl to the road. He told the passengers of the regular bus who picked him up what had happened to him and his fellow villagers. A little later, Yunus Askharov, Musa Rashidov, the father and son of the Zayrkhanovs (Zelimkhan and Ibrahim) were found on the field. All of them were also beaten and tortured with electric current. Some had their teeth pulled out, others had cigarette burns on their bodies, and so on. The condition of these people, according to the testimony of relatives, was very difficult.

Minor Timur Zayrkhanov was found a few kilometers from the village of Starye Atagi, Grozny region. His fingers were broken with pliers.

Subsequently, some of the people said that the Russian military drove them in armored personnel carriers. When they landed, they beat and tortured. During the beatings, they saw that the military vehicles were cruising around Shali, stopping in the wasteland between this city and Novye Atagi, or near Serzhen-Yurt. On the road to the last of these settlements, they were then thrown away. But not everyone. Two detained villagers are missing.

The district commandant, who was first contacted by the relatives, stated that his subordinates were not involved in the kidnapping. Intermediaries were involved, but they also failed to find out the further fate of the Serzhen-Yurts. (However, the Russian media, citing law enforcement agencies and hinting at resistance, almost on the same day reported the murder of both of them).

On the fact of the abduction of Sharani Askharov under Art. 126 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, on October 15, 2001, the prosecutor's office of the Shali district opened criminal case No. 23261. Memorial Human Rights Center does not have any information about the initiation of a criminal case into Abubakar Saidulaev's abduction.

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At 11.00 in Grozny, the Russian military, who arrived in armored personnel carriers, UAZ vehicles and buses, blocked the territory of the Chechen State University. Having interrupted classes, they blocked all entrances and exits from the building, and then began checking passports. The students were also fingerprinted by the military. The arrivals behaved rudely, cursing. They grabbed the vice-rector, who made a remark, by the chest and in obscene form threatened with reprisals.
Two students (the name of one of them was Magomadov) were put into their car by the military.

But the students and teachers of the university did not allow them to be taken away until the officers of the OMON of the Chechen Republic arrived at the scene of the events. After communicating with the riot police, which lasted at least two hours, the military were forced to release the detainees. However, as it turned out later, by that time they had managed to take five more students away from the university in an unknown direction.

As a sign of protest against the actions of the military, on May 18 and 19, university students held a rally in front of the administration building of the Leninsky district of Grozny. In the news of the Russian television channel NTV, this protest action was called a "theatrical performance" of Chechen students.

The four detained young people were soon released. The fifth, according to unconfirmed information, was charged with participation in the armed formations of the CRI. His name and surname HRC "Memorial" could not be established.

From the book "People Live Here", Usam Baisaev, Dmitry Grushkin, 2006