Cherkasov: Sadulayeva and Dzhabrailov were assassinated to intimidate others

The kidnapping of Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband Alik Dzhabrailov, leaders of the NGO "Let's Save the Generation", who were found murdered today, was staged as an official detention by power agencies. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by Alexander Cherkasov, a member of the Board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

"Some power agents came to their office; everything looked rather official; they even left a telephone number, inviting to call in case of problems," said Mr Cherkasov.

The telephone number when dialled was all the time "outside the network operation range." And some time later the kidnapped activists were found dead.

In Mr Cherkasov's opinion, the impudence of this murder can indicate only one thing: the crime should have become a demonstrative and intimidating one. However, the human rights defender does not understand the sense of this crime.

"While in the case with Natasha Estemirova it was known that her last investigations had caused indignation of the top Chechen leadership. This was reported to my colleagues by Nurdi Nukhazhiev, Kadyrov-appointed Ombudsman. And in this case, I just don't know what to think about the motive. They were engaged in helping children. The only point is in their independence," Alexander Cherkasov has added.

For reference: The Public Organization "Let's Save the Generation" was created in summer of 2001. Its main activity is rendering assistance to disabled children, orphans and members of needy families, mainly those who suffered from explosions of mines and other ordnances. In cooperation with the United Nations, the NGO several times brought doctors to Chechnya for independent examination of victims.

The NGO "Let's Save the Generation" also cooperated with the international human rights organization Amnesty International (AI), which was not let to Chechnya by local authorities.

In 2005, one of the leaders of the organization Murad Muradov fell victim of abduction. His body was given out to his relatives by power agents only a year later; and it was announced that Muradov allegedly was a militant and was liquidated in the course of a special operation.