In Chechnya, relatives of man, suspected of killing policeman, claim being tortured by power agents

Parents and sisters of Magomed Akaev, a native of Chechnya, stated that policemen tortured them to reveal whereabouts of Akaev, who was put on international wanted list. They file an appropriate complaint to the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". The press service of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) refuses to comment on the situation.

Relatives of Magomed Akaev learned from himself that at night of March 13, 2012, in Grozny, he was driving with his friends in a car without state registration number plates. At the checkpoint of the road-and- post service (DPS), power agents attempted to stop the car to check; however, young people did not react. During the pursuit, they opened fire on the patrol car. As a result, a police officer was killed, and the young men fled outside of the republic.

On March 13, at 5:00 p.m., about 30 armed men in camouflage broke down door and broke into the house of the Akaev family, which they rented in Grozny. Semilat and Aina, the Magomed's wife, were at home. This was stated by press release of the HRC "Memorial", received by the "Caucasian Knot" edition office.

Without introducing themselves or presenting their IDs, the power agents brought women out of the house and started searches. They seized mobile phones, a laptop and photographs. Without explaining anything, they brought the women to the OVD (Interior Division) of the October District. Several hours later, Aina was brought from the OVD to the building of operative and investigatory unit of the Chechen Republic's MIA (OIU of the Russian MIA in the Chechen Republic). There, according to the complaint, they beat her during several hours, tortured her with electric current, insulted, and threatened with violence.

At that time, Semilat was at the OVD, where power agents invited other members of the Akaev family: Maulan Usmanovich Akaev, the Magomed's father, born in 1948, the Magomed's sisters Zulai Akaeva, born in 1977, Zura Akaeva, born in 1978, and Elmira Akaeva, born in 1984. According to the complaint, the power agents threatened the Akaev family members, insulted them, and demanded to report the whereabouts of Magomed. They said that they had right to kill them all, and nobody would know about that, Semilat Akaeva writes.

Being unable to withstand torture, Elmira said that the power agents demanded: that on the other day after the incident, she allegedly met Magomed and gave him a passport and a mobile phone. Women were kept at the police station for three hours. Semilat felt bad, and she was brought to hospital.

According to Semilat, on about March 22, her husband Maulan went to Kalmykia, where he lived with his wife and had a temporary registration. In early April, Maulan had to return to Grozny at the request of the OIU of the Russian MIA in the Chechen Republic. When he came to the OIU, he was detained by power agents. Relatives were informed that the power agents would not release Maulan, until they found out the whereabouts of Magomed.

On April 12, during a special operation on the Belarusian-Polish border, three residents of the Chechen Republic were detained. Two of them were in the international wanted list for the shelling to a police patrol in Grozny in this March.

Among the detainees, there is Magomed Maulanovich Akaev, born in 1986, who is contained at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of the city of Brest to be extradited to Russia. This was reported by the press release the HRC "Memorial".

Maulan was released three days after that, when the detention of Magomed in Belarus was reported.

It is known that Zulai, Zura and four other relatives of Magomed Akaev were fired from the OVD of the Itum-Kale District.

According to Semilat, they were forced to write petitions of resignation on their own.

On March 20, on fact of the use of torture to the family members, Semilat Akaeva filed complaints to the Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), the Russian MIA, the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic, and the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic. According to her, she has not received any replies.

Officials from the press service of the MIA of the Chechen Republic refused to comment on the complaint, filed by Semilat Akaeva.

A staff member of the Prosecutor's Office, who introduced herself as the Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor of Chechnya on interaction with the media and the public, stated that she had no information on the case "and would not look for the information for the media."

Vladimir Potanin, Acting Senior Assistant to the Chief for Media Relations of the Investigatory Department of the Chechen Republic, stated in the interview to the "Caucasian Knot" that he was not authorized to comment on the results of test materials.

Nurdi Nukhazhiev, Ombudsman in the Chechen Republic, stated that in the republic, "everyone knew about murder of a policeman on guard"; however, he received no complaints or statements from relatives of the suspect Magomed Akaev. "The only information that we have is the statement of the 'Memorial'," the Ombudsman stated. He has added: "I have instructed my deputies to verify the information, whether any violations had been committed during in the investigation, and if there were violations, who had committed them."