Meeting in Pobedinskoye village

On October 28, several dozens of residents of the village of Pobedinskoye picketed the building of the local administration. The protest demonstration ensued from the recent abduction of two locals, Dudurkayev brothers, by unknown enforcement agents.

"On October 22, unidentified law-enforcement agents seized and took away two brothers, Said-Hasan and Said-Rahman Dudurkayevs," a relative of the kidnapped persons says. "The gunmen severely battered Said-Rahman and threw him out of their car in the vicinity of the village. The second brother's whereabouts is still unknown. We have turned to almost all governmental offices but in vain. We want to know who and why committed this action. The officials keep on saying the case is under investigation."

According to locals, the abducted brothers had no linkage with combats in the republic. They were known as true believers and were respected by all villagers. In spring of 2000, the brothers' father, a renowned mullah, was also abducted by the Russian military and is reported missing as yet.

"The boys' old father seized three years ago by Russian soldiers is probably dead. Now they abducted the sons," an angry 48-year old Khava Merjoeva says. "It was such a good and hard-working family. They have never been involved in anything wrong. We demand to find and return Said-Hasan and to stop all these night "purges" and killings of people."