HRW calls on Russian authorities to find out Zelimkhan Bakaev's fate

Today, rights defenders have reminded people that singer Zelimkhan Bakaev disappeared in Chechnya almost three months ago. The rights defenders demanded from the Russian authorities to answer questions about his whereabouts.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from August 8, relatives and friends of Zelimkhan Bakaev, a native of Grozny, are not aware of his whereabouts. On September 24, a video appeared on the Internet in which the singer reported he stayed in Germany. However, Zelimkhan Bakaev's friends and rights defenders treated the video as a staged one. Igor Kochetkov, the leader of the "Russian LGBT Network", associated the Zelimkhan Bakaev's disappearance with the persecution of gays in Chechnya.

Today, the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) has stated that the Russian authorities should "give correct answers" to the questions about the fate and whereabouts of Zelimkhan Bakaev.

The rights defenders have noted that tomorrow, November 8, marks three months from the date of the singer's disappearance. "Germany could also help by stating publicly that in case if Zelimkhan Bakaev is in Germany, he can calmly seek refuge there and get protection from the German authorities," declares the statement posted on the HRW's website.

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