Additional information on kidnapping and murder of Sayasan citizens arrived from Chechnya

The Committee "Civil Assistance" received additional information on yesterday's kidnapping and murdering of citizens of the village of Sayasan, Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya.

On the night from April 18 to 19, the wife of murdered Ilman Umaev - Madina - was released. Ilman's father - Eisa Umaev - remains in custody in the village of Nozhai-Yurt.

The relatives of the perished men received an anonymous telephone message that they should bury Ilman and Anzor Umaevs outside the cemetery without traditional funeral rites, otherwise Eisa would be killed, the Committee "Civil Assistance" reports.

On April 18, in the village of Sayasan, Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya, in the house of local citizen Ilman Umaev, the fighters of the "Groza" (Thunder-storm) detachment detained and took away the following 4 persons:

1. Umaev, Ilman Eisievich, born about 1974;

2. His wife Madina, about 20 years old;

3. Umaev, Eisa Adizovich, born about 1954, - father of Umaev, Ilman;

4. Umaev, Anzor Amkhadovich, born about 1972-1973 - cousin of Umaev, Ilman.

About 5 in the morning, the house of Ilman Umaev located at the edge of the village, where his cousin Anzor Umaev stayed for the night, was approached by several cars of the "Groza" detachment fighters, they rushed into the house and shot the leg of sleeping Anzor. Having heard the shots, a neighbour went to pick up Ilman's father, Eisa Umaev who lives in the centre of the village and brought him to his son's house. By that time the "Groza" fighters had already taken Ilman, his wife Madina and wounded Anzor, whom they dragged on the ground. Then they heavily beat Eisa, an elderly and sick person, blooded his face, and took away too.

About 4:00-4:30 p.m., the relatives of the Umaevs were told that the bodies of Anzor and Ilman were found in the crossroads running to Nozhai-Yurt, Sayasan and Beno. The passing-by local residents saw how the operative filming was made: the bodies already redressed into military uniform were photographed as allegedly just neutralized active militants. According to the relatives, Eisa Umaev and Ilman's wife are kept in the Beno village.

In 1999-2003, Ilman Umaev fought for the separatists. In 2003, unknown armed persons in masks who spoke the Chechen language kidnapped his elder brother who then disappeared. Ilman, who remained the only son in the family gave up his armed resistance and swore on Koran to never take part in it again. He was hired as security of Akhmad Kadyrov, however, he remained there for not long and soon left. He has three kids left, the youngest was born in summer of 2005.

Ilman's father, Eisa Umaev, according to the relatives, never had any relation to whatever armed actions at whatever party.

During the first Chechen war, Anzor Umaev fought for separatists. As a result of a wound, he became invalid - he lost an eye, besides, his right side was partially paralyzed, he was lame of his right leg, and right arm was completely immobilized. He suffers from partial lapse of memory, and had retarded thinking. In 2001 or 2002, being in search, he moved to Azerbaijan, intending to go to Turkey for treatment, however, he was arrested and convicted for participation in IAFs. In 2004, after 3 years of imprisonment in one of Siberian corrective colonies, he was amnestied and returned to Chechnya. Most of the time he lived with his father in Shelkovskaya, sometimes visiting his father's relatives in Sayasan, where he came not long before the described events.

According to residents of the Sayasan village of Chechnya, neither on the eve nor during recent time, nothing happened in the village, that could have caused special operations, the Committee "Civil Assistance" reports.