Enforced disappearance of 19-year-old Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Russian Federation/ Chechnya.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source and Antenna International, a member organisation of the SOS-Torture Network, about the enforced disappearance of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, a 19-year-old student from Goity village, in Chechnya, since 21 October 2009. OMCT has also been informed that the life of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov’s uncle, Mr. Adnan Ibragimov, is in danger since Mr. Adnan Ibragimov has publicly denounced the disappearance of his nephew.

According to the information received, on 21 October 2009, at about 4 pm, Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, who had just left his uncle’s home, was arrested near the press-house in Grozny. A few hours before, Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov’s house, located in Goity, was reportedly destroyed during an anti-terrorist operation allegedly jointly conducted by OMON troops (Russian Special Forces Unit), Battalion SEVER and Urus-Martan district police department. Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov was not there when the operation took place.

According to the same information, on the same day, Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov’s mother, and his uncle, Mr. Adnan Ibragimov, were also arrested by officers from the local police department (ROVD) of Urus-Martan district, but released a few hours later. Mr. Adnan Ibragimov was shortly after brought to the office of the non-departmental security service (also called the “oil regiment”) of Chechnya’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, in Grozny. Once there, Mr. Adnan Ibragimov was reportedly asked to repudiate his nephew, but he refused. He was informed that his nephew was accused of offering shelter to terrorists in his home. The police officers then reportedly brought Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov in the room. He had been allegedly seriously beaten and he was in a state of shock. The officers reportedly said that he should be killed for the death of the officers who had died during the above mentioned anti-terrorist operation. Mr. Adnan Ibragimov is the last person to have seen Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov. Since that day, his whereabouts have remained unknown.

On 9 December 2009, an investigating officer with the Interregional Investigational Department in Grozny questioned Mr. Adnan Ibragimov about his nephew’s case and reportedly warned him about the danger of denouncing his nephew’s disappearance. To date, there has been no effective investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the safety of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov as his whereabouts remain unknown. OMCT fears that he may be subjected to further torture, other ill-treatment and/or extra-judicial killing. OMCT is also gravely concerned about the safety of Mr. Adnan Ibragimov and his family since he has publicly denounced the disappearance of his nephew.

OMCT urges the authorities to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, Mr. Adnan Ibragimov and their families, at all times, in accordance with regional and international human rights instruments ratified by the Russian Federation, and in particular articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

OMCT calls upon the competent authorities to carry out a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, in accordance with regional and international human rights standards and the consistent jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights inter alia in cases against the Russian Federation, including the case of Bazorkina v. Russia., the result of which must be made public, in order to bring those responsible before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in the Russian Federation/ Chechnya urging them to:

1. Immediately locate the whereabouts of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov;
2. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, Mr. Adnan Ibragimov as well as of their respective families;
3. Grant Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov unconditional access to a lawyer of his choice and family, as well as guarantee that he is examined by independent doctors and receives adequate medical care, in accordance, inter alia, with the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners;
4. Order the immediate release of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov in the absence of valid legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him promptly before an impartial, independent and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
5. Carry out a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Said-Salekh Ibragimov, as well as into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, the results of which must be made public, in order to bring those responsible before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
6. Ensure that an effective remedy, including the right to full redress with compensation and rehabilitation be granted to the victims concerned;
7. Ensure the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses

• President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, Fax:+ 7 495 206 5173 / 230 2408, Email: president@gov.ru;
• President of the Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, Administration of the President and the Government of the Republic of Chechnya, Ul. Garazhnaia, 10. g. Grozny, 364000 Chechen Republic, Russian Federation, Fax : +7 8712 22 45 53;
• Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Yuri Chayka, 125993, Moskva K-31, Ul. B. Dimitrovka, d 15a, Russian Federation, Fax: + 7 (495)692-17-25;
• Chairwoman of the Presidential Human Rights Commission of the Russian Federation, Ella Pamfilova, 103132 g. Moskva, Staraya ploshchad, d 8/5,pod 3, Russian Federation, Fax: +7 495 20 64 855;
• Russian Federal Ombudsman for Human Rights, Vladimir Lukin, Fax: +7 495 207-74-70;
• Minister of Internal Affairs, Rashid Nurgaliev, ul. Zhitnaya, 16, 117049 Moscow, Russian Federation, Telegram: Rossiia, 117049, Moskva, Fax: + 7 495 237 49 25;
• Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan, Andrei I. Nazarov, Ul. M. Yarakskogo 84, Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation, Fax: +7 8722 6795 24
• Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in Geneva Av. de la Paix 15, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland, E-mail : mission.russian@ties.itu.int, fax: +41 22 734 40 44;

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of the Russian Federation in your respective countries.

Geneva, 11 December 2009

Kindly inform OMCT of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply