Chechen prosecutor's office demands to verify information about Bakaev's disappearance

The law enforcement agencies have failed to question those who may know about the disappearance of Zelimkhan Bakaev. Besides, the information about the singer's possible departure from the country has been also not checked. This has been reported by the Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that relatives of Zelimkhan Bakaev, a 26-year-old native of Grozny, are not aware of his whereabouts since August 8. Igor Kochetkov, the leader of the "Russian LGBT-Network", has associated the Zelimkhan Bakaev's disappearance with persecution of gays in Chechnya. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for Chechnya found no grounds for institution a criminal case on the Zelimkhan Bakaev's disappearance.

While examining the inspection materials, the Chechen Prosecutor's Office has found violations of the law.

Apart from the video, shot by unidentified persons in some unidentified place, no one knows anything about Zelimkhan Bakaev. His mobile phone does not answer, the singer's friends say. They believe "there are serious reasons to fear for his life and health."

Everyone has no doubts that the video with Zelimkhan Bakaev was shot not in Germany, noted another singer's friend, a resident of Grozny.

According to the Zelimkhan Bakaev's friend, the singer is most likely limited in his actions.

In an interview to the "Nastoyaschee Vremya", Djambulat Umarov, Chechen Minister for National Policy, Foreign Relations, Press, and Information, has said Zelimkhan Bakaev is alive, but he is not in Chechnya, and the singer's disappearance may be associated with his desire to advertise himself.

According to the Chechen Minister, the very fact that the singer is smoking a hookah in the video "refutes the allegations that he is on the territory of Chechnya."

"I believe he wants to hide his whereabouts, and it is normal in a situation where you owe money to people," stated the Chechen Minister.

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