Abductions in Dagestan in April, 2010

HRC “Memorial” is monitoring human rights violations in North Caucasus, including Dagestan. Last month we recorded six abductions in the republic (five people were released, the location of one is unknown). See below the information on the abuctions.

On April, 27, the resident of Levashi village, Magomed Ramazanov, reported that armed masked people, presumably from law enforcement authorities, abducted his relatives Magomedzagir Isagadgiev, Israpil Medgidova and Kurban Aliev in Novy Kostek village of Khasavurtovsky district. Ramazanov has not ruled out that the abduction may be connected with the armed clash of siloviks and boeviks that took place on April, 26, in the neighborhood of Mutsalaul village of Khasavurtovsky district . According to MVD and FSB department of Degestan, as a result of that clash two supposed boeviks were killed – both natives of Novy Kostek village, Akhmed Rabadanov and Ali Isagadgiev. “Ali Isagadgiev is my uncle. He has never had any relations to the armed underground. I don’t know what happened on that day, I just received a phone call from my relatives and was told that Ali Isagadgiev had disappeared. We have started the search, then the information appeared in the media that he and his friend Akhmed had been killed” – Magomed Ramazanov said.

Later the law enforcement authorities reported that Akhmed Rabadanov had been on the federal search list. He probably accompanied the female suicide bombers to Moscow, who committed a terrorist act on March, 29, 2010.

According the Head of Administration of Novy Kostek village Isa Magomedov, Israpil Medgydov and Kurban Aliev have already come back home. The location of Magomedzagir Isagadgiev is still unknown.

The resident of Novy Kostek village, who decided to stay anonymous, said that Medgidov and Aliev had been beaten fiercely: “The abductors demanded that they admit that the killed their fellow-villager, Akhmed Rabadanov, had been a boevik. The tortures lasted for hours. After that they were put in a car and thrown out next to a highway. Aliev and Medgidov were beaten so badly that today they can hardly move”.

On April, 29, three more residents of Novy Kostek village were abducted – brothers Mukhtar, Magomedrasul and Murad Magomedaliev. They are believed to have been abducted by the same people who had abducted Aliev, Isagadgyev and Medgydov two days before.

The father, Bagavdin Magomedaliev, reported that on May, 2, Mukhtar and Magomedrasul came home. On May, 5, Murad came back as well. He said that he had been kept in district police department of the town of Kizlyar. “The policemen were polite to us, we had no problems with them, nobody beat us. They just asked us what were our relations to Akhmed Rabadanov, who was killed on April, 26. Firstly they released my brothers, and then me” – Murad told. He doesn’t know why he was the last one to be released.

The statements of the father of the abducted that were made previously cast doubts on sincerity of Murad’s words. Bagavdin Magomedaliev reported the following on the abduction: “Armed abductors were wearing masks and sport suits <…> Abductors put plastic bags on their [of Mukhtar, Magomedrasul and Murad] heads, drove them to a house and started beating them up. They put forth no claims, and said sometimes that they would just kill them. Then Mukhtar and Magomedrasul were put in a car, brought outside the town, and thrown out from the car by one of the roads”.

May, 6, 2010