16:27, 8 February 2022

Rights defenders are sceptical on chances of checking threats to Yangulbaevs

Svetlana Gannushkina, Abubakar Yangulbaev, Sergey Babinets (from left to right). Collage by the "Caucasian Knot". Photos: https://orengrad.ru screenshot of the post https://t.me/Bkr_Yang/40 https://refugee.ru

It is unlikely that the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) will begin checking the Chechen leadership's threat statements against the Yangulbaevs, human rights defenders believe. Abubakar Yangulbaev vowed to seek an inquiry into the threats addressed to his family.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 5, Abubakar Yangulbaev, a former lawyer of the "Committee against Torture" (CaT)*, asked Alexander Bastrykin, the ICRF Chairman, to examine the threats pronounced against his family by Chechen leaders for the presence of threats of murder, incitement of hatred and enmity, solicitation, slander, insults and abuse of power.

On February 1, Adam Delimkhanov, an adviser to the head of Chechnya, in a video posted on the Instagram, threatened to kill Yangulbaev. The promise to "cut off heads" along with the announcement of a blood feud, is a real threat of murder, Abubakar Yangulbaev believes.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee, has informed that she didn't remember any occasion when the ICRF and the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) helped in investigating cases in Chechnya. In her opinion, Putin's meeting with Kadyrov and discussion of the work of the Chechen law enforcement bodies won't change anything in the situation with the Yangulbaevs.

The ICRF can start doing something if there is a "critical mass of appeals", Sergey Babinets, a lawyer for the CaT*, has noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 4, 2022 at 04:54 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Roman Kuzhev

Source: CK correspondent