Relatives of detained Chechens claim pressure of power agents

Law enforcement agents in Chechnya threaten to parents and close friends of the young man and young woman who were earlier detained in the city of Grozny. This was reported by the human rights activists.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 5 in the dwelling settlement of Stary of Staropromyslovsky District of Grozny, several law enforcement agents detained the guy and the girl. They were brought to the ROVD (District Interior Division) of Staropromyslovsky District. Parents of the detainees claimed that at the police station the young people were allegedly beaten and the guy was tortured with electric current. Later, the detainees were released, and no charges were brought against them.

Several days after the incident, the parents of the guy and the girl were called to the District Interior Division.

"They asked to explain how information about the incident appeared in the Internet. The top-ranking police officers threatened them with violence, since this incident became public. People are scared now and do not know how to behave, since they personally did not distribute any information, and the human rights activists received information about the incident from residents of the village," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by the head of a republic's human rights organization, who preferred to remain anonymous.

According to the human rights activist, at detention of the young people their relatives were also beaten. He also brings his version of the causes of detention.

"Later, it became clear that the power agents detained the guy and the girl only because they considered the young people to be the followers of Wahhabism. The girl wore a headscarf, which, besides, is actively encouraged by the local authorities; and the guy visited the mosque every morning and wore a headwear in the form of skull-cap, which, the power agents believed, only the Wahhabis allegedly wear," says the source.

The law enforcement representatives, which the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent managed to interview, refused to comment on the incident.