1 year ago
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Image source, Crew Against Torture/Handout via REUTERS
Yelena Milashina has been attacked successful Chechnya earlier and past twelvemonth fled Russia due to the fact that of decease threats
Prominent investigative writer Yelena Milashina has been severely beaten and had fingers breached by masked men arsenic she travelled to a tribunal successful the Russian republic of Chechnya, colleagues say.
Ms Milashina has received decease threats successful the past from Chechnya's notorious leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
She was travelling with a lawyer, Alexander Nemov, who was besides attacked.
They had conscionable arrived astatine the airdrome to be a tribunal verdict for a parent of 3 exiled Kadyrov critics.
Their car was stopped arsenic they drove to the capital, Grozny, wherever Zarema Musayeva was aboriginal fixed a five-and-a-half-year jailhouse term. She was detained by Chechen information forces successful January 2022 successful her level successful occidental Russia, connected charges condemned arsenic politically motivated.
"It was a classical kidnapping," Yelena Milashina told a Chechen quality rights authoritative successful infirmary successful Grozny. "They pinned down past threw our operator retired of his car, climbed in, bent our heads down, tied my hands, forced maine to my knees and enactment a pistol to my head."
Her employer, Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said she had suffered an interior encephalon wounded and had fingers broken. She besides had her caput shaved and her look doused successful greenish dye.
Alexander Nemov was besides injured. Rights radical Crew against Torture posted an representation showing a gash successful his leg, which it said was presumably a weapon wound.
Ms Milashina fled Russia for immoderate clip successful February 2022 aft Kadyrov called her a terrorist, adding that "we person ever eliminated terrorists and their accomplices". She was attacked successful 2020 alongside different lawyer, Marina Dubrovina.
Her investigative reporting detailing quality rights abuses successful Chechnya followed successful the footsteps of 2 women who were murdered for their ain brave work. In 2006 Novaya Gazeta workfellow Anna Politkovskaya was murdered successful Moscow, portion her person and campaigner Natalia Estemirova was abducted and changeable successful Grozny.
Ms Milashina told the BBC's Ukrainecast lone past week that she was afloat alert that Kadyrov and his entourage could "easily fulfil" the decease threats helium had issued.
"I'm benignant of getting utilized to it because, respective times astir each year, Kadyrov is passing threats to my code oregon the code of journalists of Novaya Gazeta... He behaves similar [he's] the proprietor of the Chechnya region".
Image source, Crew Against Torture
Image caption,Zarema Musayeva was recovered blameworthy of fraud and assaulting a constabulary serviceman - charges rejected by rights groups arsenic trumped up
Ramzan Kadyrov is 1 of Vladimir Putin's staunchest supporters and a cheerleader for his full-scale penetration of Ukraine. He has been wide accused of ordering extrajudicial killings, abductions and torture.
Last twelvemonth helium sent Chechen troops, known arsenic "Kadyrovtsy", into Ukraine wherever they person built a estimation for brutality. He has besides been linked to the execution of Russian absorption person Boris Nemtsov.
He was handed the presidency of the confederate Russian republic by Mr Putin successful 2007 3 years aft his begetter was assassinated arsenic president successful 2004.
When Zarema Musayeva, 53, was detained by Chechen information officers past year, 1,800km (1,120 miles) northbound of Grozny, Kadyrov said the full household should either beryllium "in situation oregon underground".
Musayeva's 3 sons each fled Chechnya aft they spoke retired online astir the Chechen leader's quality rights abuses. Her husband, a erstwhile judge, was astatine 1 constituent detained, but besides fled.
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