In Chechnya, human rights activists fear repressions against terrorists' relatives

Experts of some Chechen NGOs stick to the opinion that relatives and family members of the two suicide bombers, who blew themselves in the afternoon on August 21 in Grozny killing four employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Chechnya and a young woman, are under threat of punitive and repressive measures.

"I'm afraid that relatives of Batalov and Saltakhanov (surnames of suicide bombers, - comment of the "Caucasian Knot") can face very serious problems, since power agencies are already openly using the principle of collective responsibility in relation to militants' relatives," said the leader of one of local NGOs.

After a suicide bomber blew himself up in the end of July in Grozny, his mother's house was burnt down; and the mother and several close relatives of that guy disappeared," said the source of the "Caucasian Knot". 

"Some people say that they hastily left, being afraid of persecutions; others - that they were abducted by power agents," said the human rights defender.

"Actually, we can speak about some form of blood feud. But how does it comply with the current country's legislation, same as the practice of burning down houses of rebels' relatives?" asked one of her colleagues, Vakha by name.

According to his story, "using gangster's and terrorist's methods in fighting gangsters and terrorists is illegal." 

See earlier reports: "MIA: suicide bombers who made explosions in Grozny identified", "Chechnya's MIA: Kalinichenko family was executed as revenge for identifying a militant," "Resident of Chechnya reports that his fellow villager was tortured for having a telephone conversation with a militant."