15:43, 23 August 2017

Mother of disappeared singer Zelimkhan Bakaev appeals to Chechen HRC

Zelimkhan Bakaev (on the right) with the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. Photo: RFE/RL

The disappearance of Zelimkhan Bakaev was unexpected and contradicted the family plans, reported the singer's mother.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since August 8, the whereabouts of Zelimkhan Bakaev, a 26-year-old native of Grozny, is unknown. The singer's friends suggested that Zelimkhan Bakaev could be kidnapped. However, some other people associated his disappearance with a conflict in the family.

Zelimkhan Bakaev performed songs in the Chechen language. One of them, "Michakh khyo lela besam" (Where are you, love?), became a hit. In recent years, the singer lived in Moscow.

On August 22, the Zelimkhan Bakaev's mother appealed to the Human Rights Council (HRC) under the Chechen leader with a request to help in a search for her son. This was reported by Kheda Saratova, a member of the HRC.

Kheda Saratova is well known for her statements in defence of the Chechen authorities' position. So, in April, she said that she would not even consider an appeal for help from an LGBT community member.

According to the mother of Zelimkhan Bakaev, before his disappearance, there were no conflicts in the family. The woman has also noted that on August 12, she got an SMS-message from her son's mobile phone number, in which Zelimkhan informed her that he was all right and apologized for his unexpected departure.

According to Malika Zakaeva, Zelimkhan flew to Chechnya, since his sister's wedding party was scheduled for August 9.

On August 17, the woman filed a complaint about the disappearance of her son to the police of Grozny. Law enforcers informed the woman that a ticket for a train from Nalchik to Moscow was purchased for her son's name.

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

Author: Magomed Tuaev

Source: CK correspondent