Rights defenders assess chances of handing out Timurziev brothers' bodies

The Timurziev brothers have not figured in any criminal cases under terrorist articles; therefore, authorities have no legal grounds to keep their bodies. The appeal of her father contains a reproach against Kadyrov, but underlines the scope of his power, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 28, 2020, policemen were attacked in Grozny. One of them was killed, while the other was severely wounded. Both attackers were killed. They were identified as Timurziev brothers, natives of Ingushetia. The video appeal recorded by members of the Timurziev and Sultygov Ingush teips (family clans), in which they, in particular, requested to give out the bodies of the killed brothers, provoked a sharp negative reaction from the Chechen authorities. Relatives of the killed policeman declared blood feud against the Ingush teips. After the reconciliation in Grozny, Ramzan Kadyrov instructed his subordinates to consider the issue of giving out the Timurziev brothers’ bodies. However, the leader of Chechnya noted that if the case was investigated under the article on terrorism, the bodies would not be given out.

The father's appeal is perceived both as a plea and as a reproach to Kadyrov, said Ruslan Kutaev, President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

"Islam doesn't profess that one should fight the dead; the dead must be buried. Partly, the father's appeal is a plea. His family wants sedation. At the same time, it's a kind of reproach against Kadyrov, indicating that the non-giving the bodies out is contrary to our traditions," Mr Kutaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

No information has arrived about the initiation of a case against the dead Timurziev brothers on terrorist articles, said Timur Akiev, the head of the Ingush branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*.

The handing the bodies of the Timurziev brothers out, if no criminal cases under terrorist articles are investigated against them, will not lead to a violation of the law, Rustam Matsev, a lawyer for the "Legal Initiative"*, has stressed.

*The organizations are included in the register of non-commercial organizations (NCOs) performing the functions of a foreign agent, by the decision of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of the Russian Federation

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 8, 2021 at 08:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.