Chechnya’s prosecutor’s office says it has found no evidence that the parents and brother of Mansur Movlaev, who fled the republic, were abducted. The Investigative Committee registered a report about the disappearance of three family members and conducted a preliminary inquiry, but decided not to open a criminal case. The prosecutor’s office has ruled that the decision was lawful.
The details were contained in a response to human rights defender Maxim Rudnev, who contacted the prosecutor’s office after Movsar and Khava Movlaev stopped responding to calls in June. The document confirms that the report was received by the Investigative Committee on 7 June.
“The inquiry established that on 07.06.2026, the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic received a report concerning the abduction by unidentified persons of residents of Starye Atagi, Urus-Martan district of the Chechen Republic: Movlaev Movsar Musaevich, Movlaev Khava Saidovich and Movlaev Zelimkhan Movsarovich.”
On 17 June, an investigator issued a decision refusing to open a criminal case. The stated grounds were paragraph 1 of part 1 of Article 24 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code — the absence of a criminal event. Following Rudnev’s appeal, the prosecutor’s office reviewed the materials of the inquiry and found no grounds to overturn the decision.
“In connection with this report, an inquiry was conducted by the third department for the investigation of particularly serious crimes of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic in accordance with Articles 144–145 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. During the inquiry, the commission of a crime was not confirmed.”
The prosecutor’s office separately stated that it considered the investigators’ decision lawful:
“The decision taken has been deemed lawful, and there are no grounds for taking any further action.”
The prosecutor’s response itself, however, contains an error in the name of one of the alleged victims: Khava Movlaeva is referred to as “Movlaeva Khava Saidovich”, using a masculine patronymic.
It was previously reported that after news of Mansur’s parents’ disappearance became public, they were released. His brother Zelimkhan was also freed but reportedly suffered serious injuries.
The prosecutor’s response does not explain the circumstances in which the three family members disappeared, who specifically notified the Investigative Committee, or why investigators concluded that no crime had occurred. It only refers to the findings of the inquiry.
Rudnev was also informed that the decision not to open a criminal case could be challenged:
“You have the right to appeal the results of the consideration of your complaint to a higher-ranking prosecutor or through the courts.”
Mansur Movlaev, 29, has said that in 2022 he was abducted by local security forces in Chechnya and held in a secret prison. After his release, he left Russia and sought asylum in Kyrgyzstan before moving to Kazakhstan.
In May 2025, he was detained in Kazakhstan at Russia’s request. Russian authorities are seeking his extradition in connection with a criminal case concerning the “financing of extremism” linked to the 1ADAT Telegram channel. The channel’s authors have said that Movlaev did not transfer money to them and described the case as fabricated.
In September, Movlaev twice attempted suicide while in detention in Kazakhstan. According to human rights defenders, a local prosecutor subsequently urged him to stay alive so that, after being deported to Chechnya, he could “become a martyr”.
