Vienna, Paris, Moscow. 25 August 2006.

On 23 August 2006, the Ingushetia-based Information Center of NGO Council (SNO) reported that Elina Ersenoyeva, abducted in Grozny on 17 August, by unknown members of law-enforcement agencies, was married to Shamil Basayev. Neither the "Chechen Society" newspaper, which cooperated with Elina on a free lance basis, nor the three human rights organizations -- International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Center "Demos" -- which issued an open letter to the Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic on Ersenoyeva's abduction, had any such knowledge. At the time, the human rights organizations were only aware of the fact that Elina used to be married to a man who, according to her, "turned out to be a rebel fighter" and "was killed over a month ago". Today, we received confirmation from our local sources that the rebel was indeed Shamil Basayev. According to some sources close to Elina Ersenoyeva, the marriage was not a voluntary one.

We stress that family connections to rebels -- be they "the terrorist number one" or a common fighter -- by no means justify abduction and an enforced disappearance of an individual. We reiterate our hope that the Prosecutor's Office of the Chechnya Republic will conduct a thorough investigation into the abduction of Ersenoyeva and that she will be found. Then, if there are allegations that she is guilty of any crime, she should be tried by an independent and impartial court of law.


International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)
Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Hommes (FIDH)
Center “Demos”



Full text of the August 18 Open Letter