Woman from Kabardino-Balkaria reports on her son's kidnapping

Zareta Sokurova, a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, appealed to human rights defenders asking to help find her son Astemir Sokurov, who had disappeared on November 22. According to the women, power agents are involved in the kidnapping. Zareta Sokurova also reported on plundering and undermining of her house.

According to Zareta Sokurova, on November 22 armed people (according to the complainant, they were law enforcement agents) broke into her home, located in Khazhnagoev Street in the village of Adiyukh of the city of Nalchik.

They failed to introduce themselves or to present their documents, and, threatening the people in house with arms, they searched the house.

The unidentified people failed to find prohibited items and drove away Astemir Sokurov, the Zareta's 20-year-old son. When Astemir's wife asked what would happen to her husband, the kidnappers answered: "Do not wait for him! If you wait, you will meet a cripple, and we will try for that," reported the statement addressed to the Human Rights Centre "Memorial".

15 minutes later, the unidentified men returned back to the house and searched it again, without presenting any documents. They found nothing and, threatening with arms, took the key of the woman's house located in a nearby street. According to Zareta, several hours later she learned that all valuables had been stolen from the house and the very building had been blown up.

As of November 25, relatives have no information about the Astemir's whereabouts. They fear that he could be tortured. In her statement, Zareta asks for help to find her son and identify the persons responsible for undermining of her house.

Comments of the law enforcement officials on the incident are still not available.