Human Rights Center “Memorial” has reported that they received a written complaint from a male civilian in the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

According to the information, on October 17 Kazbek Said-Sultanovich Khasbulatov, a resident of the village of Tolstoy-Yurt within the capital district of Grozny, was going into the city with his wife, Rosita Arsamakov and his young son, Zelimkhan in their car. Their car was stopped by armed Kadyrovites at a check point near the city limits. The Kadyrovites took Kazbek and started to ask him questions about 5 meters from the car. After a while Kazbek heard other voices and when he turned his head, he saw another armed Kadyrovite grab his wife Rosita’s hair and take her out of the car. Kazbek pushed the Kadyrovite near him and ran towards the car to help his wife. But the other armed Kadyrovites jumped on him, dragged him to the roadblock and started to beat him. They then took him inside of the check point building and continued to beat him. Kadyrovites even dragged young Zelimkhan out of the car and beat him. However, Zelimkhan found the opportunity to take video with his mobile phone while they were beating his father. While Kazbek was being beat by the Kadyrovites, they turned their guns towards his wife and son. After the beating the Kadyrovites told Kazbek to write a statement saying that he has no complaints against them, but Kazbek refused. The head of the armed Kadyrovites at the check point urged him not to create a fuss and Kazbek responded by saying that whatever they forced him to do, his son would have video records of it. The Kadyrovites immediately seized the mobile phone and deleted the video. When Kazbek signed the written statement, they released them.

When Kazbek got home, a doctor arrived to check him. He gave him first-aid and suggested he go to the hospital. On October 18, Kazbek was seen by doctors in the emergency room of Grozny City Hospital Number 9 and as well as an expert from the forensic bureau, Tamara Tepsaoveya. The doctors documented bruises on his body, found a concussion and advised him to stay in the hospital, but Kazbek refused.

Kazbek made a complaint about the illegal actions of the Kadyrovites but they made a counter complaint saying that he resisted the “armed Kadyrovites” at the check point and beat them. “Can you believe it? If that were true, they would have never let me go home,” said Kazbek.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco