- Ingushetia: An Abducted Local Resident is Being Charged with Carrying Weapons: Relatives claim that his Confession was Obtained by Beatings and Torture

On 18 June 2010, Zukhra Chitigova, a refugee from Chechnya living with her family in the small refugee settlement of “Promzhilbaza” in the town of Karabulak, addressed the HRC Memorial office in Nazran, Ingushetia with a repeated written appeal.

On 27 April 2010, her son, Zelimkhan Sheikh-Mukhamedovich Chitigov (D.O.B. 1989) was abducted by officers of the Republic’s police. His whereabouts were unknown to his relatives for a couple of days.

On 29 April 2010 at 14:05, police officers from the Karabulak OVD conducted a search of the rooms where the Chitigovs live while Zukhra was absent. While searching the children’s room, they allegedly found a grenade. The woman is certain that the grenade was planted because she had thoroughly searched all of the rooms after Zelimkhan’s abduction and had found nothing illegal or suspicious. That day, Chitigova went to the GOVD in order to, first, obtain an explanation; and second, to ascertain Zelimkhan’s whereabouts. The head of the criminal investigation, Idris Vedzizhev, told them that Z. Chitigov would be shown on TV giving his confession. The relatives then turned to the deputy chairman of the security council of Ingushetia, A. Khadziev for help. He asked the chief of the Karabulak OVD, Nazir Guliev by phone about Zelimkhan’s whereabouts. Guliev replied that they had released Zelimkhan two hours after his arrest.

On 1 May 2010, an interrogator from the police interrogation department for civil security of the Karabulak OVD presented the Karabulak city court with the arrangements of Chitigov’s detainment. It was only then that relatives discovered that Zelimkhan had been charged according to article 222, part 1 of the Russian Federation criminal code (the illegal obtainment, delivery, trafficking, possession, transport, or bearing of a weapon or its basic parts, ammunition, explosive material and explosive devices). Officially, accordance to the interrogator’s petition, Zelimkhan was officially arrested on 30 April 2010 at 20:00, more than two days after his abduction.

Zelimkhan became sick during the court proceedings and he was taken by ambulance with police escort to the hospital. In a conversation with a lawyer, Zelimkhan said that police officers beat and tortured him. The lawyer made a motion for a medical examination to be conducted, but it was not granted. Nazir Guliev denied the examination. The denial was challenged in court, but the court also rejected the petition.

While Zelimkhan was at the Karabulak OVD, he was forced to decline a lawyer by torture. His lawyer, M.I. Esmurzieva was also advised to decline the case. Nazir Guliev even told her that he regrets that Zelimkhan was released alive.

On 28 May, the lawyer attempted to effect a change in the provisions of Zelimkhan’s detainment under restricted confinement. Chitigov was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair as he was not able to walk on his own. In the courtroom Zelimkhan simply lay. The arguments of the lawyers with reference to Z. Chitigov’s condition did not have an effect on the court and he was left under arrest.

As of 18 June 2010, Zelimkhan Chitigov remains under arrest in the hospital with the following diagnosis: burns caused by electrical shock, muscle injuries, brain trauma, ataxic aphasia, lower back injuries, spinal chord injury, lower body paralysis and pelvic organ injuries causing incontinence, severe post-traumatic stress disorder with a general stress-induced speech impediment. He also has been diagnosed with kidney damage, ear canal abscesses, numerous injuries to the torso, and third degree burns on his feet. Zelimkhan can still not walk on his own and speaks with difficulty.

According to Zelimkhan Chitigov’s relatives, the Karabulak OVD police officers are pressuring the doctors to discharge Chitigov from hospital. They accuse the doctors of taking bribes.

In her appeal, Zukhra Chitigov asks that her son be defended from arbitrary justice: as long as the violence perpetrated against her son remains unpunished, it encourages the police officers to commit new violations. According to her, the Karabulak OVD chief Nazir Guliev feels confident and does not fear punishment. Chitigova assumes that his confidence is founded on the support from his direct superiors and the Republic’s leadership.

The Testimonial of Z.Chitigova

To HRC Memorial Orlov O.P.

CC: Committee Civil Assistance Gannushkina S.A.

From Chitigova Zukhra Tarkhanovna

Residing at: Karabulak, Promzhilbaza

Testimonial

I am appealing once more to your organization for help in defending the interests of my son, Chitogov Zalimkhan Sheikh-Mukhamedovich (D.O.B. 1989) who was abducted by police officers on 27 April 2010. We did not have information as to his whereabouts for a few days.

On 29 April, at 14:05, Karabulak GOVD police officers conducted a search of our living quarters while in our absence. They ostensibly found a grenade. I had thoroughly searched all of the rooms after Zelimkhan’s abduction and had found nothing illegal or suspicious. When we went to the GOVD in order to obtain an explanation and with a demand to be informed of Zelimkhan’s whereabouts, the head of the criminal investigation, Idris Vedzizhev, told us that they would be showing Z. Chitigov on TV as he gave his confession. We then turned to the deputy chairman of the security council of Ingushetia, A. Khadziev for help. He asked the chief of the Karabulak OVD, Nazir Guliev by phone about Zelimkhan’s whereabouts to which he replied that they had released Zelimkhan two hours after his arrest.

On 1 May 2010, an interrogator from the police interrogation department for civil security of the Karabulak OVD presented the Karabulak city court with the arrangements of Chitigov’s detainment. It was only then that we discovered where he was. He had been charged according to article 1, page 222 of the Russian Federation criminal code. According to the interrogator’s petition, Zelimkhan was officially arrested as suspected on 30 April 2010 at 20:00, two and a half days after his actual arrest. Zelimkhan became sick during court proceedings and he was taken by ambulance with police escort to the hospital. In a conversation with a lawyer, Zelimkhan said that police officers beat and tortured him. The lawyer petitioned for a medical examination to be conducted, but it was not granted. Nazir Guliev also denied the examination. The refusal was challenged in court, but the court also rejected the petition. While he was still at the Karabulak OVD, he was forced to decline a lawyer by torture. His lawyer, M.I. Esmurzieva was even advised to decline the case. Nazir Guliev even told her that he regrets that Zelimkhan was released alive.

On 28 May, the lawyer attempted to effect a change in the provisions of Zelimkhan’s detainment under restricted confinement. Chitigov was brought into the courtroom in a wheel chair as he was not able to walk on his own. In the courtroom Zelimkhan simply lay. The arguments of the lawyers with reference to my son’s condition did not have an effect on the court and he was left under arrest.

At the present time, my son, Zelimkhan Chitigov, remains in the hospital with the following diagnosis: burns caused by electrical shock, muscle injuries, brain trauma, ataxic aphasia, lower back injuries, spinal chord injury, lower body paralysis and pelvic organ injuries causing incontinence, severe post-traumatic stress disorder with a general stress-induced speech impediment. He also has been diagnosed with kidney damage, ear canal abscesses, numerous injuries to the torso, and third degree burns on his feet. Zelimkhan can still not walk on his own and speaks with difficulty.

Karabulak city police officers are now pressuring the doctors to release Chitigov and even accuse the doctors of taking bribes.

The Karabulak OVD police officers are pressuring the doctors to release Chitigov. They accuse the doctors of taking bribes.

As long as the violence perpetrated against my son remains unpunished, it encourages the police officers to commit new violations.

I urgently implore you to intervene in the present case to defend my son from the arbitrary justice of the police officers. Appeals to Republican authorities don’t bring any results. The Karabulak OVD chief Nazir Guliev feels confident and does not fear punishment. It is obvious that his confidence is founded on the support from his direct superiors and the Republic’s leadership. If someone does not intervene in the situation, I fear that my son will be sentenced under spurious charges and inflict upon him irreparable damage to his health.

With hope for assistance,

Chitigova Z.T.

- FotoDepartament Foundation presents the exhibition

Yuri Ivaschenko / The Uprooted

4 July – 4 August 2010

Exhibition Hall / Ground Floor Art and Music Center at Mayakovskiy Library/ Nevskiy prospect, 20

The exhibition opens on 4 July, Sunday, 7 p.m.

This documentary photography exhibition is devoted to two ethnic groups – batumi kurds and ezidi. The scene – Krasnodar krai, which became the new habitation place after the forced departure from the former abode. The history of our country creates the phenomenon of the “uprooted” mind, that lives and develops on an unfamiliar territory. Not the mind of a single person, but of whole nations, relocated to hundred and thousand miles. Of course, the reasons for the displacement are different – Stalin’s novelties and dreadful earthquake. Nevertheless this is not the common labour migration of nowadays, when some people look forward to better life. This is the uprooting of vast forests, that might never take root at the new place... The author did not want simply to display the authentic culture of these undoubtedly unique nations, to show it from outside, but to slightly open the doors to their houses to the viewers and invite them to look at their routine from within.

Curator of the exhibition: Oleg Klimov (Liberty.SU). The project is supported by: International network Youth Human Rights Movement, UNITED network, Human Rights Center “Memorial”. At the opening of the exhibition all the guests will have the possibility to get one photo book!

Yuri Ivaschenko, 1983, Krasnodar.

Photographer since 2004. Member of Liberty.SU, group of documentary photography. Since 2007 - photographer of Agency.Photographer.ru. Work on long-term photoprojects and also have assignments from magazines. Lives in Krasnodar.

Publications:

Russian Reporter, Ogonyok, Le Monde 2, ZOOM (Ru).

Solo-shows:

House of Sand & Fog, within the frames of the project PROPER NOUN, Saint-Petersburg, Library of Maykovskiy, October 2007.

The Uprooted, Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Center, Moscow, March 2010.

Participation in festivals:

International Volga Biennale, Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, July 2006, 2007;

I International Festival of Photography Photovisa, Krasnodar, October 2008.

Awards:

Winner of National Grant for Young Photographer, Russia, 2006, 2007.

For further information: Memorial