15 relatives of ex-judge Yangulbaev disappeared in Grozny, whose wife was kidnapped by Kadyrovites

Relatives of the former judge of the Supreme Court Saidi Yangulbaev living in the capital of Chechnya have stopped communicating and do not appear at home. About it told project “Kavkaz.Realii” the son of the ex-judge, human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev. He connects the mass disappearance of his relatives with the kidnapping of his mother by the Kadyrovites.

“They don’t answer calls, they don’t get in touch,” says Abubakar Yangulbaev. – Our friends also visited the addresses where they live, no one is at home. At the moment, only relatives from Grozny have been verified, these are the two families of the Yangulbaevs and the Musaevs – about 15 people.”

Yangulbaev suggests that they could have been “brought out by force to record a video in which they would insult and scold our family.” “This is such a repressive measure that has been used in Chechnya for a long time,” he added.

Yangulbaev explained that before the kidnapping of his mother Zarema Musayeva in Nizhny Novgorod, the relatives were in touch.

In December 2021 Yangulbaev informed about the kidnapping of 37 of his relatives in Chechnya. They were later released, but as of January 19, at least two people were still abducted. “The detentions took place at night, with the use of violence, some were beaten, not allowed to dress, they put bags on their heads. Everything, as during the deportation in 1944. Just before the New Year, everyone was kidnapped and not kept free,” said Abubakar Yangulbaev.

Then in December, five more people spoke about the abductions of relatives in Chechnya – human rights activists and bloggers who criticized the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.

On January 20, in Nizhny Novgorod, Chechen police broke into the apartment of Saidi Yangulbaev, a former judge of the Supreme Court of Chechnya. The security forces could not kidnap him himself, since he has a judicial immunity status, but they took away his wife Zarema Musaeva. The pretext for the abduction was that she was allegedly a witness in a fraud case in Grozny, where they were going to take her by force.

During the arrest, Zarema Musaeva lost consciousness, and the Chechen police officers dragged her out of the apartment. She suffers from type 2 diabetes and needs insulin injections 5 times a day. The security forces did not allow Musayeva to take warm clothes, medicines and even her passport with her. Relatives feared that Musaeva might die on the way to Chechnya.

The police and FSB officers of Nizhny Novgorod did not respond in any way to the requests of Musaeva’s relatives for help and allegations of abduction. In the Kremlin declaredwho are not aware of the details of the abduction and prefer not to believe it.

“Committee Against Torture” filed an urgent application to the ECtHR under Rule 39 in connection with the abduction of Musayeva. Rule 39 – “fast legal aid” from the ECtHR. It applies if there is a threat to life or harm to human health, and all national remedies have been exhausted.

Saydi Yangulbaev’s son Ibragim, known for his sharp criticism of the Chechen authorities, said that in 2015 he, along with his father and brother, were kidnapped and tortured at the residence of Ramzan Kadyrov, with Kadyrov personally participating in the torture. Later, according to Ibragim, his brother and father were released, and he himself was taken to the Terek SOBR (now the Akhmat SOBR), where they continued to mock, after which they kept him in the basement for six months.

The head of Chechnya accused the Yangulbaevs of involvement in the 1ADAT Telegram channel, which talks about the crimes committed in Chechnya by the Kadyrovites. Ramzan Kadyrov named the Yangulbaev family as “accomplices of terrorists” and called on them to detain, and in case of resistance – to “destroy”. Kadyrov also wrote: “Be that as it may, I declare that this family is waiting for a place either in prison or underground. And it doesn’t depend on me anymore.”

On January 22, it became known that Saydi Yangulbaev and her daughter left Russia because of fear for his life.