Human rights defender Yangulbaev detained in Pyatigorsk

In Pyatigorsk, law enforcers detained Abubakar Yangulbaev, a lawyer from the North-Caucasian branch of the “Committee against Torture” (CaT), who reported about kidnapping of relatives in Chechnya. No advocates are allowed to visit Abubakar Yangulbaev, his colleagues say.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 25, Abubakar Yangulbaev announced that 37 of his relatives had been kidnapped in Chechnya and held by law enforcement bodies. On the other day, it was reported that some of Abubakar Yangulbaev’s relatives returned home.

Today, law enforcers have searched a house of Abubakar Yangulbaev and seized some equipment, the CaT reports. Colleagues fear that the human rights defender may be taken to Chechnya, where his life is in danger.

Let us remind you that over the past week there have been reports about kidnappings in Chechnya of relatives of bloggers criticizing the republic’s authorities and human rights defenders. So, on December 22, blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov announced that his relatives had been kidnapped.

On December 22, blogger Minkail Malizaev, well-known for criticizing the authorities of Chechnya, also reported about kidnapping of his relatives. On December 24, Khasan Khalitov, a critic of the Chechen authorities, who lives in Turkey, reported about kidnapping of five of his relatives in Northern Caucasus.

Ramzan Kadyrov voiced the version that “someone from those whom they (bloggers) insulted” might be involved in the kidnappings. According to the leader of Chechnya, the bloggers, who try to stigmatize the republic’s authorities and support terrorism, are spreading the information about the mass kidnappings of relatives.