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Rights Group Cites Trumped-Up Charges In Daghestan Man's Detainment


The Russian human rights organization Memorial has reported a case in the southern republic of Daghestan in which a man was seized, held incommunicado without trial, and tortured, apparently under suspicion as a terror suspect.

Memorial writes that unidentified security agents arrested Nariman Mamedyarov, a 33-year-old resident of Makhachkala, Daghestan's capital, on his way home from work on September 25. Mamedyarov's family was unable to obtain any information about his whereabouts for nine days.

When Vladimir Lukin, Russia's human rights ombudsman, intervened in the case, the republic's law enforcement agencies revealed that Mamedyarov was being held by police in Buynaks, 40 kilometers west of Makhachkala. He had been subjected to torture and suffered a broken arm that had begun to develop gangrene, his lawyer told RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service.

In spite of pleas from human rights groups, Narimanov has not been released from detention yet and may have to appear in court soon.

Memorial accuses the Daghestan authorities of fabricating criminal charges of Islamic extremism against innocent people in an apparent attempt to show government success in fighting terrorism, and believes that Mamedyarov's detention was one such case.

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"Watchdog" is a blog with a singular mission -- to monitor the latest developments concerning human rights, civil society, and press freedom. We'll pay particular attention to reports concerning countries in RFE/RL's broadcast region.

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