Russian Federation: "Disappearances" and abductions in the Chechen Republic.
Russian Federation: "Disappearances" and abductions in the Chechen Republic.
Index Number: EUR 46/050/2005Date Published: 8 November 2005
Categories: Russian Federation, Eurasia
The Russian non-governmental organization (NGO) Memorial has estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 people have gone missing in the Chechen Republic following what they term as abductions, arbitrary arrests and detentions since 1999 when the second Chechen conflict began. Amnesty International is opposed to the "disappearance" of prisoners and detainees in all cases, irrespective of the reasons for their detention and seeks an immediate end to all "disappearances". AI also condemns abductions and hostage-taking by armed opposition groups. Whenever people are held in unacknowledged detention, the risk of their being ill-treated, tortured and extrajudicially killed is increased.