Yuri Chaika
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Dear Mr. Chaika,
We are writing to express our profound concern about recent abductions and killings in Dagestan. We have been in touch with the families of six young men who were apparently abducted in September this year. Nariman Mamedyarov; Rashid Abdullaevich Gasanov; Magomed Ilyasovich Sheihov; Mirza Shakhsuvarovich Kasimov; Sirazhudin Minatulaevich Shafiev; and Sirazhutdin Radzhabovich Umarov left their homes between September 6 and September 10; three of them were later discovered killed and the fate and whereabouts of the other three remain unknown. Nariman Mamedyarov, Mirza Kasimov, and Sirazhutdin Umarov, were among those found dead with gunshot wounds after an alleged clash between law enforcement personnel and insurgents on September 11 near the village of Sirtych in the Tabasaran district of Dagestan. Their relatives, however, insist that they were not involved in insurgency.
Below we describe the abductions of the six men as they were conveyed to us by family members, most of whom informed local as well as national authorities about the disappearances. We remind you that the detention of anyone followed by a refusal to acknowledge this detention, or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the detained person, constitutes an enforced disappearance, a crime under international law that is prohibited in all circumstances.
Each of these abductions follows a similar pattern - the young men had been followed in the days and weeks leading up to their abduction. They were taken forcibly by men with masks, most of whom wore civilian clothes. After the men were gone for several hours, text messages were sent to their loved ones that clearly were not from the abducted men. Several of the abducted individuals are known to practice Salafi Islam, and Human Rights Watch has observed a pattern of persecution of Salafi Muslims in Dagestan.
Nariman Feyzullahovich Mamedyarov's (b 1975) stepbrother informed us that on September 10, Mamedyarov left home to go to work. That evening, he phoned his wife on his way home to say that he would be home soon, but he never came home. Mamedyrov had been abducted four times prior to this incident; most recently in February. Mamedyrov's family filed a claim on September 11 to the Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the President of the Republic of Dagestan, as well as to the Investigative Committee of the Procuracy of the Russian Federation, the Security Council of the Republic of Dagestan, and the Ombudsman for the Republic of Dagestan. Mamedyrov's stepbrother informed us that he has been followed recently by unknown men who threatened him and inquired which branch of Islam he belonged to. As has been mentioned above, Nariman Mamedyarov was found killed promptly following on his disappearance in September.
In April 2009, during a field mission to Dagestan, Human Rights Watch spoke with Mamedyarov. He described to a Human Rights Watch researcher how he had been tortured at the Sixth Department of the Extremism and Criminal Terrorism Directorate of the Dagestan Interior Ministry. He said that staff there gave him electric shocks and put a sub-machine gun in his hands so that his finger prints would be on it. He alleged that he was forced to sign a statement that police officers had found him in the forest, in dirty clothes, with a broken arm and that he had sworn at them. Mamedyrov signed the statement; he was told if he did not, he would be taken to the forest and killed.
Rashid Abdullaevich Gasanov (b. 1982) disappeared on September 8. According to his wife, Subigat Gasanova, a colleague of Gasanov's stood witness as he was stopped in his car by armed men in civilian clothes and forced Gasanov into a car with no license plates. The car drove off in an unknown direction. Gasanov's colleague called the dispatcher service which informed his wife of the disappearance. Gasanov's wife went immediately to the Makhachkala district police department to file a missing person report. She saw her husband's car outside.
Gasanov's wife told us that her family had been pressured by authorities on numerous occasions. Her husband wears a beard and Islamic clothes; he prays, but does not belong to an organized congregation. Gasanov's older brother is Shamil Gasanov, who has been wanted by the authorities for alleged involvement in insurgency for some time. Rashid Gasanov's wife reports that her husband has been abducted seven times due to his older brother. Following each abduction, he was allegedly held between 10 and 15 days, tortured by law enforcement servicemen, but eventually released. In September, Gasanov's wife reported his disappearance to the district police department, the Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan, the President of the Republic of Dagestan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, and the President of the Russian Federation.
On September 9, Magomed Ilyasovich Sheikhov (b 1984), a resident of Mahachkala disappeared. Sheikhov worked at a furniture restoration shop, but quit two weeks before he disappeared to work on projects around the house. Sheikov and his wife observe Salafi traditions, but do not attend public Salafi meetings, and pray only at home. Recently before Magomed's disappearance in September, the Sheikhovs noticed a black car "VAZ 32110" parked near their home, and Magomed also detected that he was being followed. Likewise, his wife, Zhanna Shamsudinova, was followed by a foreign made car for some days.
Zhanna Shamsudinova conveyed to Human Rights Watch that on September 9, her husband barely left the house until he received a call from a friend and decided to go out. He promised to return by 10:00 p.m. Around 10 he called his wife. She said that he calmly asked how she was, if she was observing Ramadan, and if everything was all right. He told her that he would be home in about a half an hour. Sheikhov's wife noted that it sounded like he was on a noisy road. Sheikhov did not return in half an hour. However, his wife received an SMS from his number that said, "My beloved, don't look for me, keep mother calm, I kiss you both." She said that he never wrote those kinds of words. She immediately dialed his number but the phone was already turned off. Sheikhov's wife filed a claim to the Prosecutor General and Ministry of Internal Affairs the second day after he went missing.
On September 6, 2009 Mirza Shahsuvarovich Kasimov (b. 1976) left a household goods store that he owns in Derbent with the day's earnings and headed home. A store salesman reported hearing him phone friends to invite them over to break the fast together, but as he was leaving he received another call, and instead walked in the opposite direction, towards School No. 18. Kasimov purchased grapes and continued on; he was followed by a slow moving car and two cars (a black Priora and silver VAZ 2114) blocked his way from either side. People in civilian clothing and masks ran out of the cars and struck Mirza across the head. Witnesses told his brother, Ramil Kasimov, that Mirza fell and dropped his money and grapes. He tried to resist, but he was quickly bound and taken into the car. The car drove off in an unknown direction. When his arrived at his home and discovered Kasimov was not there, they phoned repeatedly, but their calls did not go through. They received SMS messages that did not resemble Kasimov's texting style. Around 2 a.m., Kasimov's family reported the kidnapping to the police.
Kasimov was a Shiite by birth, and chose to follow Salafi Islam. He wore a beard and observant Muslim-style clothing (loose fitting trouser and a tunic). As has been mentioned above, he was found killed several days after his disappearance.
Sirazhudtin Minatulaevich Shafiev (b. 1971), left his home in Derbent on the morning of September 8 to drive his child to kindergarten. When he was returning home at about 8:00 a.m., two cars in front of him cut him off and then blocked him. According to his wife, Khadizhat Shafieva, numerous witnesses saw people in camouflage uniforms and masks run out of the cars and drag Shafiev from his car into one of theirs. Shafiev and his wife live close to and socialized from time to time with Amerali Magomedov who was abducted under similar circumstances and killed in August of this year.
The wife of Sirazhutdin Radzhabovich Umarov (b. 1977), a construction worker, told us that on the evening of September 9th, her husband went to a meeting with an acquaintance named Azer who was a precinct police officer from the village of Qala, Derbent district of Dagestan, where he was born. She told us that the precinct agent wanted to know more about his construction work.
Several months before his disappearance in September this year, Umarov had been working on a construction project in Kazan (in the Tatarstan Republic of Russia) and was detained by local law enforcement officials along with his uncle on suspicion of involvement in insurgency. The uncle was tried and convicted. Umarov, however, was released and he returned to Dagestan in July. According to his wife, some of Umarov's relatives kept Salafi traditions, though Sirazhutdin Umarov did not. As has been mentioned above, he was found killed several days after his disappearance.
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Human Rights Watch has serious concerns about the safety and well-being of Rashid Abdullaevich Gasanov; Magomed Ilyasovich Sheihov; and Sirazhudin Minatulaevich Shafiev. Our organization has documented several instances in which people subject to unlawful detentions in Dagestan are in grave danger of torture, ill-treatment, and extrajudicial execution. We urge the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation to take all necessary steps within its mandate to ensure immediate release of these men. If the men are being detained in connection with a crime, they should be given a fair trial and information about their status and whereabouts should be promptly shared with the families of these men by competent authorities in Dagestan.
We urge Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation to immediately begin an independent and effective investigation into the abduction and killings of Nariman Mamedyarov, Mirza Shakhsuvarovich Kasimov, Sirazhutdin Radzhabovich Umarov, as is required under international law.
Sincerely,
Tanya Lokshina
Deputy Director of Russia Office
Human Rights Watch
