Disappeared ex-silovik from Chechnya recognized as a “political prisoner”

The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized former Chechen police officer Yasin Khalidov as a political prisoner.

20-year-old ex-silovik Yasin Khalidov, detained in May while trying to leave Russia for Kazakhstan, was transferred to Chechnya, and since then his fate has been unknown. He had previously tried to resign from the police and was unofficially detained and threatened. Khalidov could have information that would be compromising the security forces, in particular about employees of the Chechen Center for External Action and the FSB. We are talking about kidnappings, torture and falsification of criminal cases (including against Ukrainians in the occupied territories), executions, and organizing terrorist attacks.

According to Memorial, as a police and riot police officer, Khalidov participated in fabricating criminal cases on instructions from the local center for countering extremism. He repeatedly tried to leave the service, but was not allowed. In September 2022, Khalidov was sent to war in Ukraine, where he spent four months. There he also tried to quit, but was refused. Moreover, he was beaten and kept in captivity for more than a week on bread and water.

“We believe that Yasin Khalidov was kidnapped by Chechen security forces for criticizing the regime of Ramzan Kadyrov, established in the region with the connivance of Moscow,” Memorial concluded.