Police version about suicide of Chechen villager causes mistrust among human rights defenders

The police considered the death of Denis Aliev, a resident of the Chechen village of Mairtup, a suicide. However, the victim’s body had signs of torture, and fellow villagers reported his disappearance before his death, the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights stated.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that during the years of the counterterrorist operation (CTO) in Chechnya and the rule of Ramzan Kadyrov, thousands of people disappeared in the republic, but Russia did not take any measures to investigate their disappearances.

On November 29, the body of 19-year-old Denis Aliev was found under a bridge in Kurchaloi. A month later, no criminal case has been instituted on the death of the young man, the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights reports on its official website.

Local residents say that police officers in Kurchaloi claim that the young man committed suicide, but “the version, to put it mildly, raises doubts.”

“The ‘Memorial’ Centre for Defence of Human Rights has got at its disposal a photograph of the body taken at the place of its discovery. The traces of violence are visible on the photograph ... There are signs of strangulation with a rope on the neck. There are abrasions and marks on the wrists, apparently resulting from the tying of hands ... Furthermore, Denis Aliev had both his legs broken. It is unknown whether those injuries were caused by a fall from a bridge or torture,’ the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights reported.

Denis Aliev was a student who spent a lot of time at home with his computer and had little contact with anyone, the human rights defenders state. It appears that the law enforcement bodies “clearly do not want to investigate” the alleged murder, the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights notes.