The security forces took away the wife of the ex-judge of the Supreme Court of Chechnya from Nizhny Novgorod

Human rights activists: Chechen security forces took away ex-judge in Nizhny Novgorod for interrogation

The armed men, who introduced themselves as employees of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, tried to take away the former judge of the Supreme Court of the republic for interrogation, and also kidnapped his wife. According to human rights activists, she was unconscious.

Armed men in civilian clothes and masks broke into an apartment in Nizhny Novgorod where retired Chechen Supreme Court judge Saidi Yangulbaev and his wife Zarema Musaeva live; they presented the decision of the Chechen investigation on the forced bringing of the spouses for interrogation, after which they took away Musaeva, who had lost consciousness. This was reported by the “Committee against Torture”, with which the son of the spouses cooperates (the legal entities of the human rights organization were recognized as foreign agents, now it works without registration).

The actions of the alleged security forces may be related to the persecution in Chechnya of bloggers whom the authorities consider to be involved in the opposition Telegram channel 1ADAT, the Committee believes. This includes the sons of the judge and his wife – lawyer Abubakar Yangulbaev, who at the end of December in Pyatigorsk detained, searched and interrogated in the case of justifying terrorism, and Ibragim Yangulbaev, who complained to the European Court of Human Rights about beating and torture in the Grozny police in connection with statements on the Internet, and also spent about a year and a half in the Grozny pre-trial detention center on a case of extremism.

“At about 6 pm, we learned that law enforcement officers from the Chechen Republic had arrived at the Yangulbaevs’ apartment. We proceeded there, at the entrance we met with these employees. All of them were in civilian clothes, there was no one in uniform. They were wearing masks, in hoods, it was clear that they were security forces from Chechnya – they spoke with a characteristic accent, moreover, they introduced themselves. They said that they were working on behalf of the investigator of the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Grozny, ”Sergei Babinets, lawyer of the Committee against Torture, told RBC.

“We shook their decision for a long time [о задержании Янгулбаевых], in the end they showed it to us after all. It was an order to bring witnesses in some criminal case of fraud committed in 2019. Saydi and Zarema say that this is an absolutely fake decision, necessary only to take them to the Chechen Republic as soon as possible. They did not succeed with Saydi, because he is a judge, he has immunity, and they said: “Then we will take Zarema away.” We offered to call the local investigator, arrange with him to conduct their interrogation here with the participation of our lawyer, we are ready. They went out to consult, we went to the apartment. They returned and said: “Let’s put you in touch with the investigator.” When we opened the door for them, they burst in, beat almost everyone and dragged Zarema with them in an unknown direction, ”Babinets said.

The Committee Against Torture emphasizes that Zarema Musayeva suffers from diabetes and has symptoms of a respiratory disease; a few hours ago she passed a test for COVID-19. At the time of the abduction, she was unconscious, the organization said.