Chechen authorities refute involvement in Martagov's disappearance

The authorities of Chechnya saw no enemy in the person of Ruslan Martagov, a missing political analyst, said Djambulat Umarov, the head of the republic's Ministry of Press. According to his version, they had agreed with Martagov, prior to his disappearance, that he would write an article about the Ichkeria regime.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ruslan Martagov disappeared on September 1. On that day, he visited Grozny at the invitation of the Ministry of Press and stopped answering telephone calls, when he was on his way home in a taxi.

In early 1990s, Ruslan Martagov was in opposition to Djokhar Dudaev and was a member of the armed movement against Ichkeria's separatist course. Martagov has been a consistent critic of Ramzan Kadyrov, openly speaking out against the practice of intimidation of rights defenders and journalists in the republic.

According to Djambulat Umarov, Martagov was invited to Grozny to sitting on preparation of materials "on the Ichkeria period, on prepared prevocational materials by western ideologists of Ichkeria for media on the eve of Russian parliamentary elections."

After the sitting, the Ministry called a taxi for Martagov and paid for it, said Umarov, adding that during his meeting with Martagov the latter agreed to write an article "about the crimes of the Ichkeria regime." Umarov also said that it was the first Martagov's visit to the Ministry since he had headed it; and the authorities had no claims to his activities.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.