Dagestani activists urge Pushkina to talk to Taramova in private

Oksana Pushkina, a Russian State Duma MP, who has expressed a desire to meet Khalimat Taramova, who had been abducted from the Makhachkala shelter, should talk to the girl in private, since she will not tell about her true situation in the presence of her relatives, activists of the “Marem” initiative group assert.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that according to human rights defenders, Khalimat Taramova was forcibly taken to Chechnya from a shelter apartment for victims of domestic violence.

Oksana Pushkina, a State Duma MP, has expressed her intention to go to Chechnya and personally make sure that everything is all right with the girl. “I want to see her and talk to her and her father,” said Pushkina.

Ekaterina Neroznikova, a journalist and a volunteer of the “Marem” initiative group, has turned to Oksana Pushkina in connection with her plans to visit Taramova in Chechnya. "This is a great initiative [...] But, unfortunately, from the experience of my work and the work of my colleagues in Northern Caucasus, we understand that there is no safe place for a confidential conversation in Chechnya," Ms Neroznikova said in her video message posted on July 4 in her Facebook page. She asked Pushkina to talk to Taramova in private.

Svetlana Anokhina, a human rights defender, has also appealed to Oksana Pushkina with a request to speak to Taramova in such places where law enforcers and girl’s relatives have no access. “Given our experience, we are afraid that this conversation will resemble a talk with a hostage, at whose back submachine guns are directed,” the “Dozhd” (Rain) TV Channel has quoted Ms Anokhina as saying on July 5.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 5, 2021 at 10:33 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.