Three residents of Kabardino-Balkaria disappear

Three residents of Kabardino-Balkaria - Timur Begidov, born in 1975 in Kenzhe village, and Ibragim Shogenov and Anzor Nagoev from the village of Dugulubgei, who left on October 2 to the city of Ufa in a refrigerator truck with a cargo of fruits for sale, have disappeared. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt about it at the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Centre, where Timur Begidov's parents addressed for help.

As reported by human rights activists, the parents of the above persons filed their applications to the President of the republic, local Ombudsman Boris Zumakulov and the Prosecutor's Office of Kabardino-Balkaria.

According to Khafisat Begidova, the truck, in which her son and his friends had left, was found on October 5 some 70 kilometres off Ufa. The freight was in full safety, but the seats and the cabin interior were cut up. Local law enforcement bodies with the use of divers, helicopters and service dogs surveyed the territory within the radius of 50 km from the place, where the truck was found; however, no bodies or other traces of the crime were detected.

In the opinion of the relatives, the fact that the freight is in safety means that in was not a criminal incident.

"I link the reasons, for which my son could disappear first of all with the fact that he and the two guys from Dugulubgei are Moslems, who observe all the Islam rites," said Khafisat, mother of Timur Begidov.

She said that her son had never before had any calls to militia in the context of his religious views, but another guy - Timur Shogenov - was under supervision. According to her story, he was an unofficial Imam of the Muslim community of Dugulubgei.