Chechnya: father of "Zapad" special GRU battalion fighter detained, rights defenders report

A resident of Grozny, father of one of the participants of the armed clash, which burst out at night on November 14 in the Staropromyslovskiy District of Grozny, where a Chechen militia officer was shot dead, was captured by militiamen and kept in custody for about 24 hours.

According to a Chechen human rights activist, the son of this man - a former fighter of the special battalion "Zapad" (West) of the GRU (Russian Military Intelligence) - was accused of killing the militia officer.

"In the end of last week, power agents took away an elderly man right from his home in settlement 'Turbina' located in the Staropromyslovskiy District of Grozny. According to his neighbours, the reason of detention was that his son, Aslan Magomadov, a former fighter of the 'Zapad' special battalion, also known as 'Tyson', was suspected by local law enforcers of murdering, at night on November 14, the militia officer near the 'Transmash' stop in the Staropromyslovskiy District," said the source of the "Caucasian Knot".

According to the source, Aslan Magomadov immediately after the incident left the republic, "although he believes himself to be absolutely innocent of what has happened." According to the human rights activist, Aslan's father was released on the following day; and he was "asked to return his son home."