Security forces shot and tortured a British citizen born in Chechnya

British citizen Magomed Abubakarov told the Anti-Torture Team that after arriving in Chechnya, where he was born, he was shot by security forces during his arrest. The man was tortured and forced to confess to collaborating with British intelligence.

According to human rights activists, the man came to Chechnya in May 2023 for family reasons. He lived with relatives, but a few weeks later the police began looking for him in connection with a 2010 conviction for banditry.

After Abubakarov was taken to the police department, his passports and phone were taken away. The man provided the security forces with passwords and access codes for the device. He spent almost a month in the department, although he was not charged or issued any documents. According to Abubakarov, he was kept in a basement, beaten and electrocuted.

The man was released at the end of June 2023. In November, Abubakarov attempted to return to the UK, but was detained at passport control in Grozny.

"An FSB operative was waiting for me in a separate room. They took my documents again and told me that I had to undergo a series of procedures, including a polygraph. I missed the flight, I didn't have any documents, so I went home," Abubakarov said.

The man hired a lawyer, regularly took a polygraph test, and went to the investigator for questioning for almost six months. In April of this year, masked security officers arrived at his house, one of whom pointed a machine gun at Abubakarov. Frightened, the man ran away, and the security officer shot him.

"I realized I had been shot because I felt like I had no left leg. I fell to the ground," Abubakarov said.

He was taken to a hospital and operated on, after which investigators demanded that he confess to armed resistance, and several civilians were tortured. Abubakarov was then transported to a hospital in Grozny, where he underwent surgery again and was tortured.

"It all lasted for about four hours. The man mocked me, laughed when his blows tore the urine bag. He humiliated me. I screamed in pain, but no one from the medical staff came into my room," Abubakarov claims.

At the moment, the man is in a pretrial detention center on charges of attempted murder of law enforcement officers. The wound to the leg caused complications in the intestines, and now Abubakarov is forced to wear a colostomy bag.

To get the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .