Information Bulletin № 1313

 Chechen Republic                                              Republic of Ingushetia

Chechen Republic

Relatives of victims of extrajudicial executions cannot receive remains of them

            In the course of last two weeks in Gudermeski district several places of mass graves of victims of extrajudicial executions were revealed. Their whereabouts was pointed by former servicemen of the battalion of special troops of the main intelligence directorate "East", which is deployed in the settlement of Druzhba of this district.

            Today the office of the Information center for CNO was approached by several women, who in the course of several years continue unsuccessfully searching for their kidnapped sons. According to them, the human remains revealed recently in Gudermeski district, are still not being returned to relatives to bury explaining that the forensic medical examination is being conducted. This happens in spite of the fact that some of the remains were identified by relatives because of remaining pieces of clothes and other signs. Additionally, members of the division, who have showed the graves, named some of the killed people.

            During the whole period, according to women, law enforcers gave out remains of only one person – a resident of the village of Dargo of Vedenski district. According to the relatives, they had to pay to workers of the Deaprtment of the committee of inquiry. In opinion of women, the delay of procedure of identification with subsequent delivery of remains of killed people to the relatives, many of which have been searching for their kidnapped relatives for years, is also a brutal action and similar to extrajudicial punishments above them.

Local resident detained in Pobedinskoye

            According to the information received from an inhabitant of the village of Pobedinskoye of Groznenski district, on 18 June in this settlement his villager was detained. The surname of the arrested person is not provided due to the request of the source of information.

According to the available information, law enforcers accused the arrested person of belonging to militants.

Seven people wounded in Gekhi

            In the evening on 18 June, in the village of Gekhi of Urus-Martanovski district a quarrel between members of two families happened. During the showdown one of the participants of the conflict took out a pistol and opened chaotic shooting.

As a result, originator of the incident as well as six more persons has suffered. All of them were hospitalized with different wounds.

Later, this person was detained by employees of militia. The information on the incident was received from local residents. The circumstances of it and surnames of the arrested person and victims are being established.

Additional information

            In the first half of 16 June, on the outskirts of the village of Chishki of Groznenski district a group of unknown persons opened fire from automatic weapons and grenade cup discharges at two trucks with Russian militaries. This information was obtained from residents of this village.

            According to the available information, as a result of this attack several servicemen were killed and wounded. The assailants managed to escape to unknown direction. According to the people, later the area of the incident was invaded by divisions of federal forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Fighting helicopters appeared in the air. They made rocket strikes at large forests. (Information Release № 1312 of 17 June 2008).

            As it became known, as a result of the attack of militants, two officers of frontier troops have been killed: the captain Vladimir Karasev and the senior lieutenant Evgenie Klukin as well as the lance sergeant Petr Bravok.

Additional information

            Last week the information on detention of two employees of militia in Vedenski district of the Chechen Republic was received. They were accused of belonging to militants. (Information Release № 1307 of 11 June 2008 and № 1308 of 12 June 2008).

            Today some information on the detained militiamen became known. They are employees of patrol-sentry duty service of Vedenski district Apti Khushalaev and Dzhambulat Bakashev. The relatives of the arrested persons categorically deny even a hypothetical opportunity of their belonging to participants of armed formations, and state that militiamen were slandered.

Republic of Ingushetia

Militiamen fired at in Malgobek

            As it became known from inhabitants of the town of Malgobek, at night on 15 June unknown persons moving in a vehicle of "Mercedes" of white color fired from grenade cup discharges and sub-machine guns at an armored vehicle of "UAZ" with workers of the city militia department. As a result of the attack, an officer (the surname is being established) and a militiaman-driver of the car Adam Khamkhoev were severely wounded.

Attackers managed to escape. Their searches have not brought any success.

19 June  2008

Information Center for CNO 

The information bulletin is supported by Human Rights and Governance Grants Program at the OSI-Budapest. The Institute is not responsible for the activity of the Information Center for CNO and material published on the organization’s website.