In Chechen city of Shali over 20 persons were detained last week, local residents assert

Last week, power agents of Chechnya detained more than 20 local residents in the city of Shali. The arrests began after a suspected militant was killed and three suspected members of the armed underground were detained in this city.

Let us remind you that on February 23 in Shali power agents detained an alleged member of armed groupings under the field commander Muslim Gakaev. On February 22, two persons were detained on suspicion of being militants in Shali; on February 21, two more local residents were detained, suspected of being members since summer of 2010 of Gakaev's grouping. And on February 17, as reported by power agents, in Shali Andarbek Gamaev, another member of Gakaev's grouping, a local resident, who rendered armed resistance, was shot dead in Shali.

"During the week 22 or 23 persons were detained here. Most of them were released after interrogation, but there are few persons who are still in custody," a resident of Shali told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The source asserts that the detainees, most of whom were young men aged about 30, were beaten and tortured, and forced to confess of involvement in the armed underground.

An activist of a local human rights organization said on this occasion that he had information about "targeted cleansings" held last week in Shali. "We possess such information; and we verify it. They detained relatives or acquaintances of Andarbek Gamaev, killed in Shali, or of the three detained local residents, accused of being members of Gakaev's unit," said the human rights activist.

According to his story, the problem is that the detainees, who were tortured and beaten, usually keep silent in fear of negative consequences.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told in power structures that indeed the actions aimed at identification and detention of possible members of the armed underground and their accomplices were conducted in Shali.

"The fact that after detention or liquidation of a member of the underground, a certain circle of his relatives and friends is established and questioned - is normal. Bandits do not act on their own. They receive help; somebody helps them to hide, brings food to them and so on. Otherwise, there would be no bandits at all. Unknown people would not help them. This is done by relatives and friends. Therefore, they fall under suspicion in the first place. It is just a truism," said a local law enforcement officer.