Court extends arrest of Chechen native Khasan Edilkhanov for two months, "Kommersant" report

The Lefortovo Court of Moscow has extended for two months the arrest of Khasan Edilkhanov, a native of Chechnya, suspected of involvement in illegal armed formations (IAFs), the "Kommersant" reports. The defence treats the charges filed against the student as far-fetched.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 27, law enforcers detained Khasan Edilkhanov, a native of Chechnya, who arrived from Thailand, in the arrivals area of the "Sheremetyevo" Airport. On March 31, the arrest of 20-year-old Khasan Edilkhanov was reported by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

According to investigators, in November 2013, Khasan Edilkhanov quitted his studies at the university and left Moscow, first for Turkey and then for Syria, where he joined the IAFs opposing the official authorities of the country.

Rosa Magomedova, an advocate of the young man, believes that if Khasan Edilkhanov had any relationship with the Syrian militants, then he "would fear of arrest and would unlikely return home, especially by scheduled flight."

The newspaper also quotes Ruslan Martagov, an expert on Northern Caucasus, as speaking in support of the Rosa Magomedova's opinion.

"Dozens of young people left Chechnya and Ingushetia for Syria. However, I do not remember a single case when any of them ever came back alive," Ruslan Martagov has summed up.