Khasan Khalitov tells about oppression of his relatives in Chechnya

The relatives of the blogger, Khasan Khalitov, who live in Chechnya are restricted in their freedom of travel; his father was fired from his job; and his sister was forced to close her business, the blogger has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Khasan Khalitov, who lives in Turkey, received a photo of his naked sister who was abducted in Chechnya together with her husband back in December 2021. The person who sent the photos threatened to make them public if the blogger didn't stop criticizing Chechen authorities, Khalitov said, adding that at least two of his relatives, a sister and a son-in-law, were still being held by Chechen law enforcers. Threats against Khalitov continued even after he disclosed information about the blackmail.

According to Khalitov, before filming the video with the participation of his relatives, his son-in-law and sister were kept in an unknown place for about a month. Their release became possible only after a public outcry, the blogger believes.

"They spread rumours about my brother Khussein that he might commit suicide. I think they are hinting that they can kill him and present it as suicide. My sister had a sewing shop, but she was forced to close it; now, they are deprived of their livelihood; their travels are banned; at most they are taken away and brought back home, where they are kept in captivity," Khasan Khalitov said.

According to his story, foreign passports have been also taken away from his relatives.

On December 3, in their video appeal, Khalitov's brothers called on him to stop criticizing the Chechen leadership. The videos were made under pressure; Chechen authorities use the family members to intimidate their critics, human rights defenders have stated.