Nizhny Novgorod: police detains rights defender who studied facts of torture in Chechnya

On January 21, at night, Anton Ryzhov, a member of the united mobile group of the Council of the Inter-Regional Committee against Torture (IRCAT), which is investigating torture and killings in Chechnya, was detained by the transport police, when he got out of the train in Nizhny Novgorod.

Ryzhov was on his way back from another trip to the Chechen Republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Igor Kalyapin, the chairman of the above Committee, that at detention policemen said that Anton Ryzhov "looked unlike his photo in the passport."

Later, according to Kalyapin, transport policemen said they had "a registered application about a prepared terror act; while Ryzhov could have materials related to terrorist activities."

According to the human rights defender, the traffic policemen had violated the rights of his colleague by not allowing him to make a telephone call and inform his relatives about the detention. During a search, policemen confiscated his laptop and a few memory sticks. Anton Ryzhov was released at about 4 a.m.

So far, the "Caucasian Knot" has no comments of transport policemen of Nizhny Novgorod on the circumstances and reasons for Ryzhov's detention.