"We will pursue you until we cut your heads off" - Chechen authorities threaten activist's family

Chechen authorities threaten Yangulbaev family

A member of the Russian State Duma from Chechnya publicly threatened to cut off the heads of the members of the Yabgulbayev family and other opponents of the Kadyrov regime. Threats were made by the head of Chechnya himself and the security forces subordinate to him. A Chechen court arrested the mother of the family, Zarema Musayeva, who was kidnapped from another region of Russia. Later, a rally was held in Grozny against the persecuted family, “Caucasian Knot” and “Novaya Gazeta” report.

“Know that day and night, not sparing our lives, property, and offspring, we will pursue you until we cut off your heads and kill you. We really have enmity and a blood feud with you”.

These words belong to the deputy of the Russian State Duma from Chechnya, Adam Delimkhanov. Delimkhanov promised to cut off the heads of opponents during a live broadcast on Instagram on the evening of February 1.

“This also applies to those who translate this video into Russian”, the deputy added.

His words were addressed primarily to the family of former federal judge Saidi Yangulbaev. The judge’s wife, Zarema Musayeva, was kidnapped from another region of Russia and taken to Chechnya on January 20.

Saydi Yangublaev himself managed to avoid this fate due to his judicial status, which provides him with immunity.

A court in Grozny sent Zarema Musayeva to pre-trial detention until April 1 for using violence against a police officer, causing danger to his life or health. Lawyers were not allowed to see her.

Initially, the court assigned her 15 days of administrative arrest on charges of assault and insulting a police officer.

The children of Musaeva and Yangulbaev were forced to leave Russia at different times. Their son, human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev, is also abroad, and in December he accused the Chechen authorities of the mass kidnapping of his relatives – 37 people.

On February 2, a rally “against the Yangulbaev family” was held on the central square in Grozny. According to the official media of the republic “Grozny.Inform”, more than 400,000 people took part in it (the population of Grozny, as of January 1, 2021, is less than 325,000 people).

В Грозном на центральной площади прошел митинг против семьи Янгулбаевых. По данным «Грозный.Информ», на площади собрались более 400 тысяч человек.

Население Грозного, по последним данным, составляет менее 325 тысяч человек

Видео: Baza pic.twitter.com/qzRHle86Kz

— Новая Газета (@novaya_gazeta) February 2, 2022

Participants of the rally hit with sticks and burned posters with images of members of the Yangulbaev family.

“The event was attended by well-known religious, public and political figures, elders, representatives of all teips and virds, youth, as well as representatives of Ingushetia. There were curses addressed to this family and those who support them”, Grozny.Inform reported.

“The first Chechen they meet will deal with them”

The head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov again made threats against the Yangulbaev family, calling on foreign states to “throw out” the family of the retired judge.

“From now on, the family will always have to have one eye over their shoulder, shudder from any knock on the door. Our people are so offended by the vile and hysterical rhetoric of the Yangulbaevs that the very first Chechen they meet will deal with them as soon as the opportunity arises. Our life is devoted to Islam, and we are very happy to die in the fight against such apostates and scumbags”, Kadyrov said.

The head of Chechnya again called for criminal proceedings to be launched against human rights activist Igor Kalyapin, as well as against Novaya Gazeta and the Dozhd TV channel.

These calls were not heard for the first time, Novaya Gazeta responded with counter statements and demanded that a criminal case be opened against Kadyrov.

The Kremlin, however, said that they did not consider it necessary to follow the accusations against the head of Chechnya. Several State Duma deputies expressed dissatisfaction with the statement that Delimkhanov made.

Other Chechen officials also joined in the threats. The muftiyat of the republic did not stand aside either.

The local propaganda TV channel cites an audio recording that allegedly belongs to Ibragim Yangulbaev as the reason for this harassment. The audio recording allegedly “insults and defames the honor” of Chechen religious leaders. Ibragim is one of the sons of the disgraced Judge Yangulbaev, he was recently put on the wanted list.

“Captured in the dragon’s castle”

Almost two weeks have passed since the kidnapping of Zarema Musayeva. On January 31, one of the sons, Abubakar Yangulbaev, published a video message to his mother on his Telegram channel.

“Mom, you are now a prisoner in the dragon’s castle… You can be sure that everyone in this world knows about you and everyone supports you… Everyone is surprised at how they treated you – a woman who is not guilty of anything. Never before have they so openly raised their hand against women, they have never allowed themselves to act like this”, said Abubakar Yangulbaev.

He expressed confidence that Zarema Musayeva did not do anything illegal, but they accuse her of this in order to “keep her in captivity”.

“This is all just revenge on the part of one particular person. Everyone knows and everyone has already learned that you are a brave person, everyone knows that you gave birth to us and raised us during the war, that you did it in basements, under Chechen soil. No one will believe and does not believe that you will break, I personally do not believe this. I know that you are the bravest and most courageous woman, otherwise, you would not be able to go through all that you have been through from the early nineties to the present”, Abubakar Yangulbaev said in the video.

Meeting between Putin and Kadyrov

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ramzan Kadyrov in Moscow. This was reported by the press service of the head of Chechnya on the night of February 3. Although earlier Putin’s press secretary assured that such a meeting is not planned.

According to the report, the meeting discussed “demographic and economic indicators”, reducing unemployment and the epidemiological situation.

Putin’s press service did not report on the meeting.

The Dozhd TV channel noted the photo that Kadyrov’s press service illustrated for the publication about the meeting between Kadyrov and Putin is dated April 19, 2017, and was previously published on the Kremlin’s website, raising some suspicions on whether the meeting took place at all.