Chechnya: The picket of relatives of the abducted

On July 2, 2009 relatives of Apti Shamsayev and Rasanbek Telkhigov organized a picket near the governmental complex in Grozny (Chechnya).

Young men were abducted by the agents of unidentified law enforcement authorities in the village of Gekhi (Chechnya) on May 22 and June 4 2009. After the abduction the relatives applied to local police and to the public prosecutor's office. On July 1 they applied to Memorial office in Grozny.

Around 25 people took part in the picket on July 2. The action lasted for over an hour. Several times armed people in camouflage approached the relatives of the abducted and asked to stop the action. But the picketers continued the meeting until the head of governmental department on the relations to the law enforcement authorities Akhmed Dakayev came out to them. He suggested that the relatives of the abducted should write an applications to his name. Rasanbek's and Apti's parents did as suggested and discontinued the picket. They said that would repeat the action if the abducted were not found soon.

For the text of the application (in Russian) and more information about the abductions visit Memorial site: http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/msg/2009/07/m166329.htm

July 7, 2009