Memorial members in Chechnya find themselves under surveillance

In August 2009 members of HRC Memorial office in Grozny faced open surveillance and pressure. Their safety is directly threatened.

Before her tragic death, Natalia Estemirova dealed with new cases of abductions, killings and torture in Chechnya.

Abduction of Zelimkhan Hadjiev and Apti Zainalov in Grozny on June 28, 2009 was one of the most significant cases.

On July 3, mutilated Zainalov was found in Achknoi-Martan hospital by Akhmed Gisayev, member of Memorial office in Grozny. Akhmed helped Estemirova work on this case.

Akhmed Gisayev is an applicant to the European Court of Human Rights. The appeal "Gisayev v. Russia" (14811/04) deals with the illegal detention and torture of the applicant by the federal forces in Chechnya on October 23, 2003.

Akhmed Gisayev discovered that Apti Zainalov was taken to the Achkhoi-Martan hospital in bad condition. Gisaev and Estemirova tried to free him from detention. Estemirova and Apti's mother Aima Makaeva appealed to the public prosecutor's office. However, Apti was taken away from the hospital by officers of law enforcement authorities. Apti's relatives didn't have any information about the young man.  

Around July 10, several days after the appeal to the public prosecutor's office, Akhmed Gisayev started suspecting he was under surveillancr: from the Memorial office he was followed by the car, which stopped near Gisayev's house.  

Despite this, Gisayev and Estemirova continued working on the case.

On July 15, Natalia Estemirova was abducted in Chechnya. Later that day her body was found in Ingushetia.

The same day HRC Memorial appealed to the ECHR on behalf of Apti's mother Aima Makaeva. Key testimonies were given by Natalia Estemirova and Akhmed Gisayev.  

Days after the killing of Natalia Estemirova, Akhmed Gisayev, the last witness in the case, noticed the same car that followed him twice.

On August 12, Akhmed Gisayev was called by the officer of the investigative department, which was investigating the conditions of Apti's disappearance. They went to the Achkhoi-Martan hospital, talked to the staff, visited public prosecutor's office. Then the officer took Akhmed to his house. The car that was following Akhmed was there. Akhmed told about it to the officer but he did not take measures.   

In the evening of August 13, when Akhmed and his wife were returning home, a car stopped near him. 3 men got out of it, searched Akhmed and checked his documents. Gisayev said that he worked at Memorial. One of the men answered: "Your co-workers were killed, weren't they? And do you know what they were killed for?"

"The operation of checking passport regime" started on the street where Gisayev lives early in the morning of August 14. Such measures haven't been taken in the district for a long time.  

Gisayev isn't the only member of Memorial in Chechnya who experiences pressure after the killing of Natalia Estemirova. All the members of Memorial working in the region are constantly under threat and need protection.  

For more information (in Russian) about the shadowing of Memorial members visit Memorial site:  http://www.memo.ru/2009/08/19/1908091.htm

August 20, 2009