Relatives report disappearance of Apti Kharaev, resident of Chechnya

Apti Kharaev, a resident of the Urus-Martan District of Chechnya, went missing on March 14; since then, his whereabouts is unknown, said his relatives, who turned to the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". Earlier, Kharaev had been convicted for taking part in an illegal armed formation (IAF), and was accused of killing power agents, law enforcement sources have reported.

The disappearance of Apti Kharaev, 36, a resident of the village of Goity, was reported by his mother Marem; according to her story, on March 14, he left his father's house aiming to make his permanent registration with the at the District Division of the Federal Migration Service (FMS).

Apti was a participant in an armed confrontation with federal bodies during the First Chechen War. In 2001, as reported by the HRC "Memorial", "Apti was convicted by the Krasnodar Territorial Court to 15.5 years in prison for taking part in battles for the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria." On March 2, 2017, he was released after serving his sentence.

A source, who had known Kharaev, said that he could be killed by an order of a high-ranking head of the district administration.

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