Rights defenders doubt sincerity of blogger Khalitov's relatives

Relatives of Kadyrov's critics are recording videos, in which they refute that their words were uttered under pressure; a video with Khasan Khalitov's relatives confirms this, human rights defenders assert.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Khasan Khalitov, a blogger who lives in Turkey, received a photo of his naked sister who had been abducted in Chechnya together with her husband. One of Kadyrov people threatened to make the photo public, if the blogger did not stop criticizing Chechen authorities, Khalitov said, adding that at least two of his relatives – a sister and a son-in-law – were being held by Chechen law enforcers. Khalitov's sister had not been abducted in Chechnya and was not photographed naked, the blogger's relatives assert, while urging him to stop criticizing the republic's authorities.

Oleg Khabibrakhmanov, a lawyer and an assistant to the head of the "Committee against Torture" (CaT)*, has noted that the relatives of Kadyrov's critics, who were subjected to pressure, then take the side of the Chechen leader. In his opinion, relatives of critics of Chechen authorities are intimidated and afraid to say "anything that could provoke Kadyrov's fury."

Khalitov should not have talked about threats to rape his sister: in the Chechen society it is strictly forbidden to publicize such threats, men must "solve the issue" confidentially, said Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee, has noted that it is not customary for Chechens to talk about threats to one's sister; and if a blogger decided to do so, "the situation is very serious." "The threat itself discredits the woman and her entire kin," she has explained.