Siblings Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev were detained in 2020 and were kept for two months in the second regiment of Akhmat Hadji Kadyrov. For three months they were electrocuted and beaten up for taking part in moderating opposition Telegram-channel, later on they were set free under condition of collaboration with legal forces.

Salekh and Ismail left Chechnya, but were kidnapped from the shelter in Nizhny Novgorod and taken back to the republic by force. There a criminal case was trumped up. In February 2022 a Chechen court sentenced 20-year-old Salekh and 18-year-old Ismail to 8 and 6 years in prison. They were accused of transferring food to a militant of an illegal armed group in spring 2020. At that time the republic had strict quarantine measures: only one member of each family was allowed to go outside twice a week. Policemen with batons were suppressing people back to their houses. Back then Salekh and Ismail stayed home all the time and were afraid to go outside after three months of torture.

Brothers’ sentence is connected with their political position and their belonging to LGBTIQ+ community as well as with their unwillingness to cooperate with legal forces. The sentence was held unaccordingly, with a lot of violations. The boys were tortured, their lawyers were not allowed in, Chechnya’s legal forces interfered with the case. Some of their distant relatives were kidnapped, there were attempts of “honor killings”. Nevertheless, in October 2022 the Fifth Cassation Court in Pyatigorsk rejected a complaint and left the sentence as it was.

We managed Salekh and Ismail’s evacuation. After they were kidnapped we defended them in court. Up till now we provide them with legal support.