Six North Caucasus natives have disappeared from Rostov pretrial detention center

The whereabouts of six prisoners, natives of the North Caucasus, who were transferred from the Rostov pretrial detention center, presumably to the Taganrog detention center, remain unknown for over 40 days. Human rights activists fear that they may be tortured to make them confess to complicity in the escape attempt that occurred on June 16, the Memorial Human Rights Center reported.

In early July, Magomed Alkhanov, Magomed Khanilaev, Kurban-Ismail Mutairov, Bashir Dibirasulaev and Shamil Khantuev were transferred from Rostov-on-Don Pretrial Detention Center No. 1. Relatives and lawyers were informed that they are now being held in Taganrog Pretrial Detention Center No. 2. However, no one has been able to meet with the prisoners or send them a parcel.

Magomed Alkhanov is accused of attacking a company of Pskov paratroopers in February 2000 near the village of Ulus-Kert in the Vedensky District of Chechnya. He was in the same cell with prisoners who tried to escape from the Rostov pretrial detention center and took hostages. On August 5, Alkhanov was not brought to the court hearing on his case - he allegedly refused to leave his cell. Another prisoner, Magomed Khanilaev, was visited by a lawyer, but he allegedly categorically refused to meet with him.

Recall that on June 16, several prisoners of the Rostov pretrial detention center took two hostages from among the FSIN employees. The prisoners demanded transport and the opportunity to leave the detention center. The FSIN reported that they died during the assault, the hostages were not harmed.

Among the attackers were three natives of Ingushetia – Malik Gandaloev, Shamil Akiev and Azamat Tsitskiev, as well as a native of Chechnya Tamerlan Gireev, Magomed Saipudinov from Dagestan and Daniil Kamnev from Stavropol. Of the attackers, Gandaloev and Kamnev survived.

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