Akiev: kidnapped Zurab Tsechoev was tortured for lists of power agents on "Ingushetia.Ru"

Zurab Tsechoev, an employee of the human rights Autonomous Independent Organization (AIO) "Mashr", who was kidnapped today in the morning, was beaten and accused of placing lists with addresses of employees of local law enforcement bodies in the website "Ingushetia.Ru", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Timur Akiev, head of the HRC "Memorial" office in the city of Nazran.

In his conversation with Timur Akiev, Mr Tsechoev has completely denied his any involvement in these lists.

The HRC "Memorial" informs that at about 6:00 a.m. Tsechoev's house was surrounded by three ATCs (armoured troop carriers), three "Gazelle" minibuses and other vehicles of power agents (at least 50 persons). They started knocking at the house gate. Zurab Tsechoev went out to them. Power agents at once put him face down on the ground and pointed weapons at him. Some of them got into the house. They did not present themselves and presented no documents. They spoke Russian without accent and behaved rudely. They made unsanctioned search in the house without any witnesses and search warrant, say human rights activists. During the search, they confiscated a computer and two mobile phones.

After the search, Zurab Tsechoev was placed in one of the "Gazelles" and without any explanations taken away in unknown direction.

Timur Akiev has added that at about 12:10 a.m. Tsechoev was thrown out by his kidnappers some 500 meters off the city of Magas in the road running to the villages of Ali-Yurt and Ekazhevo.

The kidnappers left the computer and phones with Tsechoev.

Zurab Tsechoev was severely beaten, he has traces of beatings, haematomas, suspicion on arm fracture, he can hardly walk, Timur Akiev said.

The HRC "Memorial" notes that Zurab Tsechoev does not know yet where he was, also who the kidnappers were.

It was informed earlier that Tsechoev works for the AIO "Mashr" since 2005, and he is an applicant to the European Court for Human Rights on the case of kidnapping of his brother Tamerlan Tsechoev, who was kidnapped in the Verkhnie Achaluki village of the Malgobek District on March 11, 2004, by unknown armed persons together with Rashid Ozdoev, senior assistant of the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Ingushetia. In his application filed this year to the European Court Zurab Tsechoev has expressed his discontent with the fruitless and inefficient investigation of his brother's kidnapping case; the fate of his brother is still unknown.