Fate of Maskhadov's assistant kidnapped in Chechnya remains unknown

The location and fate of the assistant of Aslan Maskhadov, president of ChRI killed in March 2005 in Chechnya, are still unknown.

This has been reported by an employee of a Chechen human rights organization. According to him, there is serious concern that the life of Vakhid Murdashev, earlier sentenced to 15 years of prison, is in danger.

"As is known, on March 2 in the afternoon, brigadier general of Ichkeria Vakhid Murdashev, former assistant of Aslan Maskhadov, sentenced to 15 of prison and held in the pre-trial prison "Chernokozovo" (Naur district of Chechnya), was taken on a helicopter to an undisclosed location by officers of Russian power authorities. Since that time, nothing is known about his location and fate," states the human rights activist. Yesterday we tried to telephone Bai-Ali Murzayev, his lawyer. Unfortunately, we could not manage to get through. It remains unclear, who and on what grounds took Vakhid Murdashev from Chernokozovo."

"One can not very well take a person away from prison," he said. "There must be some documents, permits, etc. The administration of the prison must know, who took the convict or the defendant and whereto. In case of Murdashev, no one knows anything. Or simply they do not want to speak. The fact that the kidnapping took place only several days after the talk of Vakhid Murdashev with Alvaro Gilles-Robles, Council of Europe Commissar on Human Rights, makes one to think that he could say something he should not have said. For instance, about the true circumstances of the death of Aslan Maskhadov. This is why I think that Murdashev's life and health are in danger."

Vakhid Murdashev, former assistant of ChRI president Aslan Maskhadov, was detained by Russian secret service officers on March 8, 2005 in the village of Doikur-Evl (Tolstoi-Yurt) Nadstrechi district of Chechnya, during a secret operation which resulted in the death of Aslan Maskhadov. He was sentenced to 15 years of prison. Murdashev was charged with illegal carrying of arms, participation in illegal armed units and in armed mutiny.

Three more persons who were with Aslan Maskhadov, namely, Ilias Iriskhanov, Viskhan Khadjimuratov, his nephew, and Skandarbek Yusupov, the owner of the house in which Maskhadov and his subordinates stayed, got five-and-a-half, seven and six years in high-security colony, respectively.