Zelimkhan Murdalov

Zelimkhan Murdalov was a 26-year-old student from Grozny, Chechnya, who left his home on 2 January 2001, saying he would be back soon, but did not return. His parents tracked him down at the police station, where an official promised that he would soon be released, but they have not seen their son since.

It emerged in court that he was severely tortured in detention in an attempt to turn him into an informant, then taken away by police. His case was first brought to the public prominence by the September 2001 "Novaya Gazeta" article "The Disappearance" by Anna Politkovskaya. [ [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071022/estemirova The Courage of Anna Politkovskaya] , The Nation, October 4, 2007] In March 2005 and again in November 2007, former OMON Lieutenant Sergei Lapin was sentenced to prison for the torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov.

Zelimkhan is one of thousands of people who have become victims of forced disappearances in Chechnya. Virtually none of investigations have produced any results, and relatives seeking justice often face reprisals and intimidation. [ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR460192007?open&of=ENG-RUS Russian Federation: Zelimkhan Murdalov has not been seen since January 2001] Amnesty International, 23 May 2007]

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