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HR news |
Cleansing Operation in the Village of Tsotsin-Yurt
On 25 July at dawn, the village of Tsotsin-Yurt was cordoned off. According to witnesses, helicopters circled the village during the night. By 7am, nobody was allowed out of the village: A woman with a train ticket was told that as of today, a special military operation was to begin in the village and that the village was to be cordoned off for the coming three days.
Troops landed from helicopters, while at the same time, military armoured vehicles started arriving (approx. 250 vehicles). The majority of the armoured vehicles had their serial numbers covered with paint
The village was divided in two along the Khulkhulau river. The bridges over the river (two for pedestrians and one for vehicles) were taken under strict control.
On the first day, three people were detained from the upper part of the village and four people from the lower part (Lechi Biriyevich Ediev, born 1947, father of seven children, Ruslan Yediev, Yakub Yakhyaev, 23-24 years old, and his cousin). The last two detainees were on their way home from Nazran. They were allowed to enter by car into the already cordoned village and then were detained.
The detainees were taken to grounds near a wooded area situated on the edge of the village (upper part). Tents were already set up here with military armoured vehicles stationed around them. Twelve women, relatives of the detained, came immeadiately to demand that their dear ones were released. At first, the Russian soldiers tried to chase them away, shooting at below their feet and in the air. However, they finally allowed the women to stay.
The women stayed there throughout the afternoon in the heat (40 °Ñ). Around 9pm, a helicopter started to circle above them. After a while, a certain Nikolai Mikhailovich approached the women and said that it was he who had flown in the helicopter and suggested that they disperse, assuring them that nothing would happen to the detainees. During the night, the detainees were indeed released. At the same time, people who resided in the other part of the village were able to return home only towards evening of the next day.
On the morning of the 26th, the cleansing operation continued.
“On our street, an eyewitness tells, six armoured carriers sped by. After 10-15 minutes, a bare-footed woman ran after them. That was Baaeva. She lives near the route where the village starts. They took three of her brothers. She was crying and screaming helplessly!!! People stopped her. They decided to go to the other side of the river where the detainees were transported. Gradually, women, whose relatives had been detained, started to gather. It was virtually impossible to get through the village, but somehow we got through to the bridge. There, a soldier rudely shouted at us: 'What the hell do you want? Get away from here!' We tried to explain that they took our relatives away. 'You can't go across the bridge, go through the river'. We crossed over to the other bank of the river, to that side of the village which is nearer to Geldagan.
Soldiers stopped us at five hundred meters from the meadow where the detainees were kept. About an hour and a half later, a soldier came out, presenting himself as Slava and said 'The only thing I can do for you is bring a list of the detainees. I'll do this simply out of human sympathy for you.'
And he indeed brought the list. What happened afterwards is difficult to describe. Vehicles with groups of detainees constantly arrived at the meadow. Women, whose relatives just had been taken away, went after them. Because the village was still blockaded, a lot of them just tried to shout to us from the other side: 'They took so and so'. Women in small groups started to take those who had already been checked back with them from the meadow. They made a circle around the men and took them back to the village”.
That day the largest number of detentions and checks were carried out. 26 people from just one block were detained on that day. Interrogations were accompanied by torture with electric current and beatings, the interrogated were attacked by dogs.
During the cleansing operation, cars were shot at, TV sets, video players, clothes were taken from houses. For example, in one home they took away the entire dowry of a wedding bride. A private workshop was looted.
The soldiers behaved rudely, provocatively. One officer declared outright to the peaceful inhabitants: 'Surrender your bandits, or else your innocent children will have to suffer. We will beat and torture them until you surrender the fighters and Wahhabites. Next time we'll close the village for a whole month'.
The cleansing operation continued on the 27th of July. People were taken in in groups of five-six people, “screened” and taken away.
Altogether, 73 people were detained during the cleansing operation, and the fate of 5 of them is unknown. It is assumed that they were taken to Khankala.
They were:
Idris Kh. Abukhanov
Khusein Sh. Magomadov
Vezi M. Mazazaev
Ramzan L. Khusikhanov, born 1974
Lomaliev (first name unkown, birth place Geldagan).
All those who were released signed a statement, declaring that they have no complaints, that they were treated well.
As the soldiers passed through houses, they beat up the dwellers and robbed them. They demanded money from an elderly, half-blind woman, Khazan, who lives on Shkolnaya street. When she tried to explain in bad Russian that she had absolutely no money, they hit her on the bridge of her nose and placed a gun on her shoulder, from where they started shooting at implements in the yard.
The soldiers carried away everything from the houses, from money to underwear. They behaved insolently, coarsely and cynically towards the women, and there were instances of sexual harassments.
On the 28th, the soldiers started to leave the village. A column of a large number of armoured vehicles left for Mesker-Yurt. The soldiers themselves said that that was in order to conduct cleansing operations there.
Overall, nearly 73 people were detained during the period of the cleansing operation at Tsotsin-Yurt. Amongst those detained were the following:
Lechi Biriyevich Ediev, born 1947,
Ruslan Ediev,
Yakub Yakhyaev, 23-24 years old
Adam Alavdievich Basaev
Khadzha Gaibovich Lamashev
Musa Khezirovich Modaev
Ruslan Khuseynovich Magomadov
Said-Emi Ilyasovich Dudkhadzhiev
Aslambek Said-Khasanovich Magomadov
Timur Ilyasovich Dudkhadzhiev
Salambek Aslambekovich Khasaev
Elim-Pasha Dzhugeydovich Belimurzaev
Turpo Dzhykhoytovich Bimurzaev
Deni Nozhaevich Khaledov
Lom-Ali Turkaevich Sultanov
Said-Salakh Iliyasovich Dudkhadzhiev
Ibragim Mayerbekovich Aliev
Said-Selim Ilyasovich Dudkhadzhiev
Arbi Khizirovich Dudkhadzhiev
Arap Khizirovich Dudkhadzhiev
Ramzan Akhmedovich Baaev
Sultan Elsulaev
Khizir Dautmerzaev, born 1954
Ramzan Imranovich Agaev
Rizvan Imranovich Agaev
Lecha Imranovich Agaev
Sukhrab Islamovich Taramov, born 1979
Ayub Dakaevich Taramov, born 1980
Rustam Lemievich Khusikhanov, born 1978
Ramzan Lemievich Khusikhanov, born 1979
Lechi Khumaidovich Khusikhanov, born 1957
Salakh Saipudievich Magomadov, born 1978
Vezm Mazaevich Mazaev, born 1963
Khusain Shamitievich Magomadov, born 1980
Magdi Magomadov
Khizir Abukhanov, born 1966
Information from the “Memorial” Human Rights Center's office in Nazran
