A human rights activist and her daughter beaten up in Grozny

In the evening of October, 17, in Lenin district of Grozny, some strangers beat up a member of a non-governmental organization "Human Rights Center of Chechen Republic" and her daughter aged 18.

At the public center "Unit of Non-governmental Organizations" a reporter of "Caucasian Knot" was told there had been four criminals. "They were armed and wearing a camouflage uniform, the sort the personnel of law enforcement agencies wear. Two men entered the flat where the human rights activist and her daughter were at the moment and beat them up severely. The other two were waiting in the staircase", a member of the organization who wished to remain anonymous said.

According to "Caucasian Knot" reporter's interlocutor, the criminals did not introduce themselves and produced no motivation for their actions. "They just pronounced threats of using violence against the human rights activist and her daughter. Before leaving they destroyed the woman's and her daughter's phones", our source said.

In his telephone talk to a reporter of "Caucasian Knot" Mikhail Ezhiev, Leader of the Human Rights center of Chechen Republic, said that in connection with the incident his organization was going to submit the respective declarations on the same day to Public Prosecutor's office and Ministry of Interior affairs of the republic and the next day an emergency session of the "Unit of Non-governmental Organizations" would be gathered where the human rights activists would work out a decision on their further actions. 

"This was the first episode of an attempt at representatives of NGOs of our republic after the events of last year (kidnapping and subsequent murders in Grozny of the famous human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, leader of the public organization "Save the Generation" Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband Alik Jabrailov - note by a reporter of "Caucasian Knot"). As head of the organization I am responsible for my people's security and will take all the necessary measures to protect them", the human rights activist emphasized.

It should be reminded that the executors and principals of Estemirova, Sadulayeva and Jabrailov's murders are still unknown. The victims' colleagues and acquaintances are sure that these crimes have been committed by local members of the top brass.