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HR news |
Illegal Detainments and Summary Executions in Ingushetia
(August-July)
Ingushetia after the Insurgency of June 21/22
After the armed insurgency of fighters to Ingushetia a wave of human rights abuse spilled over to this republic. Currently HRC “Memorial” works on five cases of illegal detainment, torture, summary executions and possible attempts at case “fabrication” of the Ingush residents.
Illegal Detainment of Parchiev Adam. Torture and degrading treatment. Evidence of Criminal Case Fabrication
On August 3, at 6 p.m. from his house at Nazran’, Gikalo street, 68, was kidnapped Parchiev Adam, born 1974. Armed persons (around 15) both in camouflage and in civilian attire without masks entered the yard of Parchiev and called “Adam, come out”. When Parchiev came out, he was grabbed, and without further explanations forced into the car, then driven in the unknown direction. The relatives of the detained followed the car of the kidnappers. They saw Adam being delivered to GUVD in Nazran.
For two days the representatives of GUVD denied the fact of Parchiev’s presence in their institution. The third day the relatives were informed that Adam was “handed over to federal authorities”. The relatives found out that Adam was still on the territory of Ingushetia by chance, when on August 5, near the factory they saw an investigation experiment carried out with Adams participation. Parchiev’s face was masked, but the relatives recognized him by gait (Adam is lame). Adam’s brother Alikhan shouted to him “Adam, tell only the truth”. Then the armed persons detained Alikhan. Until evening he remained in GUVD. In the detainment Alikhan was not interrogated or beaten. Probably, the detainment of Alikhan Parchiev was aimed at exerting psychological pressure on the family.
However, on August 7, the relatives managed to establish contact with Adam’s advocate, allocated to him at the place of the detainment. According to the relatives, the advocate Khumaryants Laura told them that in the detainment Adam was being severely tortured and beaten and demanded to
“acknowledge” his participation in the events of June 21, blowing up of a federal armed personnel carrier etc. In fact, according to the relatives, during the tragic events in Ingushetia, Adam was at home with his family. When the fights started, he was in the yard, talked to the neighbors, trying to figure out what was going on. Parchievs’ neighbors submitted an application to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Ingush Republic, where they testified that at night of June 21/22 Adam was at home.
Summary Execution of Beslan Arapkhanov
On July 20 in Galashki village, Sunzhensky district of Ingushetia the representatives of federal power agencies killed the resident of Ingushetia Beslan Arapkhanov, born 1966. Probably, the servicemen murdered Arapkhanov by mistake, having taken him for another man. Below we quote the text of the application filed to “Memorial” by the wife of the victim, Arapkhanova Rimma:
“At about 4 a.m. I was woken up by a loud knock on the door. I opened the door and armed military persons broke into the room. They pushed me to a wall and one of them immediately hit my husband who was still in bed with a gun butt, another man put hand cuffs on his hands and threw him on the floor, face down. Beating him severely by the gun butts and kicking him with boots, they screamed “Where’s weapon, where are fighters?” Having checked his passport, the military men threw it on the floor; then I was pushed to another room.
While the search was carried out, Beslan was lying on the floor undressed, in handcuffs and the servicemen continued to beat them. The children were scared to death, hearing their father being beaten and shouted at; they were crying loudly.
From the couch in another room the military servicemen pulled out an uncharged machine gun, there were bugles lying in a separate bag. In 1999 near the checkpoint at Nesterovskaia village bordering Chechnya, the younger brother of my husband, Mukharbek, was killed by guerilla fighters. Mukharbek had 4 children, and Beslan took care of them. According to the Ingush law, my husband had vendetta obligations for his brother; therefore from the scarce family budget he bought this machine gun. He never used it. Nobody knew about it. I was trying to explain this to the military servicemen.
Some time later, my husband was taken out to the yard, bare feet in slippers, and taken back into the house. The military servicemen crashed and overthrew everything in the house, ripped clothes and bed sheets. Then Beslan was taken out for the second time, still in had-cuffs, and immediately we heard a machinegun volley. Later it turned out that he was cruelly murdered, without a chance to say a word in his defense. My husband never understood what the matter was and why he was executed.
After that three men entered the house: an officer, who presented himself as Kostenko K., an investigator of Department of FSB for Republic Ingushetia from Zheleznovodsk and two “witnesses” (Gavrilov Alexander and Ershov Andrej). The chief of the group showed an order for carrying out search in the house of Khuchbarov Ruslan. We did not know Ruslan Khuchbarov personally, but from the neighbors we knew that he used to live at Partizanskaja street, 11, however, he left this village 10 years ago. We have lived in this street since 5 years ago only. The military servicemen would not listen to my explanations that Khuchbarov was not living here and that we were not Khuchbarovs but Arapkhanov’s. “Who is Arapkhanov?! Which Arapkhanov?! Shut up, bitch!” - they screamed at me. In the meantime there was search in the house and in the yard. Swearing and calling me bitch and other disgraceful names, pushing me or throwing me on the floor they dragged me around the house with them. Then they forced me to sign a protocol.
Afterwards, having closed the children in the room they brought me to the garden and ordered to dig, but I had no nerve, I refused. This nightmare continued from four to eight o’clock.
The neighbors saw everything that happened. They were forbidden to get outside. The military servicemen were everywhere. One of the neighbors, Arapkhanov Zelimkhan, was strongly beaten by gun butts and kicked with boots. Afterwards he was delivered to the local hospital with numerous injuries.
My children are afraid to return to the house, from where their father in handcuffs and all in blood was taken out and then shot dead behind the corner straight in front of their eyes”.
On July 21 the Office of Prosecutor of Sunzhensky district of Republic Ingushetia instigated a criminal case ¹ 04600044 article 105 part 2 of the Criminal Code of RF on the fact of murder of Arapkhanov B. As part of investigation procedure the corpse of Arapkhanov B. was exhumed and a second forensic expertise was carried out. Unlike the first expertise, which was done formally to confirm the fact of death, the second expertise registered the marks of torture, a knife cut on the neck, marks from handcuffs on the wrists, and bruises and numerous bullet injuries all over the body.
Torture and Murder of Valkhiev Bashir
On July 20, in the village of Barsuki, Nazran municipal district of Republic Ingushetia, the representatives of power agencies detained two brothers Velkhiev: Bashir born 1963, and Bekhan, born 1965.On the premises of UBOP, MVD of the Republic of Ingushetia they were subjected to physical violence, which resulted in Bashir Velkhiev’s death. Bekhan Velkhiev, who received numerous heavy injuries, was released the next day.
According to Bekhan Velkhiev, at 9 a.m. armed persons in masks broke into the yard of their family house. The senior of the group ordered to arrest Bashir. When Bashir asked him to present the order for arrest, he was told that “everything will be explained and presented at the department”. On the premises of UBOP brothers Velkhiev were searched, all Bekhan’s money was taken. Then they were interrogated. At some point the UBOP officers decided that Bashir was responding slowly, so they hit him with his head on the wall and ordered to respond quickly. Then Bashir replied that he would be responding “according to the procedure, as is stipulated by law”. When he was hit several more times, Bashir stopped answering questions. One of the UBOP officers said “This guy is experienced; we should show him the full program”. After that Bashir was taken to another room.
Bekhan was blindfolded; handcuffs were replaced by another device, which left no marks. The militiamen joked “made especially for you”. Then they interrogated him on his whereabouts on June 21/22. Bekhan said that he was at home, which could be validated by his neighbors. Then the militiamen said they found some paper, which he allegedly wrote. Bekhan responded that it was very easy to check: the militiamen had to free his hands, give him a pen and paper and compare the handwriting. For this he was hit with his head over the wall, kicked with boots in the area between the legs and by fists on the ears “so that he would come to senses and stop being smart”. They warned him that they were not joking, and “in good will” offered “to cooperate”. You will have a car and money, - they said.
Having got a negative response, the militiamen took Velkhiev to another room and cruelly beat with sticks. “These are still flowers,” – they said and advised not to “worsen his condition”, since he would already get 10-15 years in prison. Then they took him yet to another room where he was thrown on the floor, kicked with boots and sticks, then poured with cold water and connected to electric wire. Several times Bekhan lost consciousness.
In the evening the younger Velkhiev was taken outside, put in a car and driven in the unknown direction. After awhile the car stopped and he was released. In the morning it turned out that Bekhan’s brother Bashir died in RUBOP.
On July 30, 2004 the Office of Prosecutor of Nazran town instigated a criminal case, according to article 286 part 3 CC of the RF (exceeding professional duties). The document says: “On July 20 2004 at about 8: 30 a.m. in the municipal area Barsukinsky, the town of Nazran unidentified representatives of MVD RF and UBOP at MVD RF illegally detained and delivered to UBOP MVD Velkhiev Bashir Ulanovish, where, obviously exceeding their professional duties, subjected him to physical violence. As a result of the received injuries Valkhiev B.U. died in room 17 of the Department for Combat of Organized Crime at MVD of the Republic of Ingushetia”. At the same time in the militia Velkhiev family were issued a document, which stated Bashir Velkhiev died of “heart attack”. The relatives took the body of Bashir Velkhiev to Vladikavkaz for independent forensic expertise. This expertise established that Bashir died of beatings.
Torture and Degrading Treatment of Lolokhoev Bekhan
In the end of June, Lolokhoev Bekhan, aged 24, a resident of Ekazhevo village, Republic of Ingushetia turned to “Memorial” for help. On June 26, he was kidnapped from his house and for two weeks remained on the premises of one of the power agencies.
In the detainment the young man was tortured: beaten with gun butts and kicked with boots, beaten with sticks, tortured by electricity, with wire connected to his nostrils, ears, gentiles, and tongue, a compressing helmet was put on his head. He was offered to “voluntarily” take on himself “some crimes, for which he would get three, maximum four years in prison”, otherwise threatened to kill him. Bekhan was told that his entire family was shot dead, so there was no one who could invest effort in trying to find him. He was not fed for the first five days. Subsequently, once in two days he was given water and bread.
He was released on July 10. Before release the military servicemen warned him that no one should know of what had happened to him. They said bluntly: “We’ll find you and kill. Do not forget that you have brothers”. A week later the
The young man was afraid to turn up to prosecution or medical institutions. The representatives of “Memorial” can testify that the young man had marks of torture and beatings on his body.
