Journalist ridicules investigator's refusals to investigate kidnapping in Chechnya

The Prosecutor's Office found no violations in the eighth investigator's refusal to investigate the kidnapping of Zhalaudi Geriev, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, in Chechnya. The journalist himself doubts that any checks were carried out at all on the complaint about his kidnapping.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in September 2016, Zhalaudi Geriev was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a penal colony on the charge of marijuana possession. The journalist pleaded not guilty. On April 30, Zhalaudi Geriev left the penal colony after he had completely served his imprisonment term.

The Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya found no violations in the decision of the investigator, who on December 17, 2018, refused to instituted a case on the kidnapping and unjustified criminal prosecution of Zhalaudi Geriev.

The check was carried out at the complaint filed by a mother of Zhalaudi Geriev. "In the course of the check, the investigator was supposed to investigate the complaint about torture, robbery, and drug planting, as well as to conduct an investigation into the pressure on witnesses of my kidnapping," Zhalaudi Geriev has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

The journalist was not surprised by the response from the Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya, and he called its decision "ordinary." "This is an ordinary manifestation of the insolvency of the Prosecutor's Office as an institution of supervision, and the Investigating Department as an investigative body. We understand that in fact, neither a check nor a hint of its conduct took place," said Zhalaudi Geriev.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 27, 2019 at 05:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.