Prisoner dies in Chechen pre-trial detention center, possibly as a result of massacre

40-year-old Khavazhi Magomadov died in the temporary detention center of the ROVD of the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny. The cause of death was not reported, but human rights activists suspect massacre. He was convicted after being tortured and falsifying a criminal case, Civic Assistance reported.

Earlier, Magomadov was transferred from Kuzbass to Chechnya. He warned that he was not going to commit suicide and felt good. However, on May 28, the man died in the isolation ward, and his lawyer was informed of his death only two days later. Human rights activists believe that Magomadov, under the guise of witness identification, could have been brought to Chechnya for reprisals.

On May 5, the prisoner arrived at SIZO-1 in Grozny, according to the official version, to testify as a witness in another criminal case. The participation of Magomadov was requested by the employees of the District Department of Internal Affairs of the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny.

“I did not commit any crimes, and if I incriminate myself, it will mean that I was forced to confess to this with the use of violence and blackmail. I am a deeply religious person, a Muslim, and I am not going to commit suicide, religion does not allow me to do this. I appeal to human rights activists and regulatory authorities with a request to take my case under control and, if necessary, disseminate it in the media, to which I give my consent,” Khavazhi Magomadov wrote.

After the identification procedure, the man told the lawyer that he was feeling well and was taking medication for tuberculosis. He made plans for the further serving of his sentence and asked to be transferred from a colony in Kuzbass closer to home - to Chechnya or a neighboring region. He was left overnight in the temporary detention center of the Staropromyslovsky District Department of Internal Affairs in Grozny.

On the morning of May 28, a doctor was called to the isolation ward, who pronounced Magomadov dead. The reason is unknown. Civil Assistance applied to the Investigative Committee for an investigation.

In 2010, employees of the said ROVD detained Magomadov and his cousin. They were tortured with electric current and boiling water, and the Khavazhi were shot in the leg. After being tortured, the men signed confessions of serious crimes. The court ignored the above facts and sentenced the brothers to long terms of imprisonment.

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