ICRF deprives Chechen Umarov’s mother of chance to seek truth in case of her son's disappearance

The Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has overturned the decision of its employee who refused to provide the case materials on the disappearance of Movsar Umarov. This led to the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya stopping the consideration of the complaint of Umarov's mother.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on January 16, 2025, the Visaitovsky District Court of Grozny dismissed the complaint of Eset Umarova on recognizing the investigator's refusal to familiarize her with the case materials in full as illegal.

The Team against Torture (TaT)* has noted that Umarov's mother was in fact denied the opportunity to familiarize herself with the case materials on her son's disappearance.

The Umarov’s disappearance was not investigated properly; therefore, law enforcement bodies are against the mother’s familiarizing with the case of her missing son, a human rights defender familiar with Chechen realities is sure.

"In the last decade, details have rarely been disclosed in disappearance cases in Chechnya, especially if law enforcers are involved. Kidnappings in the region usually occur with their participation," the source has suggested.

"There is always hope that the missing person is alive, but in most cases the fate of such persons remains a mystery," he has added.

The law enforcers’ unwillingness to acquaint the mother with the case materials indicates only one thing – law enforcers themselves are involved in his disappearance, says Svetlana Gannushkina**, the head of the “Civic Assistance” Committee**.

*The "Team against Torture" (TaT, formerly the "Committee against Torture" – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.