Kadyrov responds to US call to release Musaeva

The US Department of State called for the release of all those unjustly detained in Chechnya, in particular, Zarema Musaeva, and demanded from Ramzan Kadyrov to stop persecuting opponents’ relatives. Ramzan Kadyrov replies that it is not in the competence of the leader of the region to detain and release people.

The “Committee Against Torture”* reported that on January 20, Zarema Musaeva, a spouse of retired federal judge Saidi Yangulbaeva, had been taken to Chechnya. The European Union called for her release.

The US Department of State expressed concern over reports about kidnappings and arbitrary detentions by the Chechen authorities of dozens of people, including relatives of Chechen human rights defenders and dissidents.

In response, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote in his Telegram channel that it was not in his competence to detain or release people. The leader of Chechnya drew attention to the fact that the claims against him were expressed by a country that itself violated human rights. Ramzan Kadyrov referred as an example to the violation of the rights of migrants, racial discrimination, the death penalty, and the police brutality. The leader of Chechnya also mentioned the Guantanamo prison, in which “prisoners are being kept without trial or investigation.”

Ramzan Kadyrov also advised the US Department of State to learn to respect human rights before making any recommendations.

* The “Committee Against Torture” (CaT) was included by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Russia in the register of NCOs-foreign agents in 2015. In this regard, leaders liquidated the organization and created a new legal entity: the “Committee for the Prevention of Torture”, which was also included in the list of foreign agents, and the organization was closed. At present, the “Committee Against Torture” operates as an unregistered public association.