This was the most bizarre thing in my 18 years as an activist. On 6 October, I was abducted by unknown armed men in Ingushetia where I was monitoring peaceful protests for Amnesty International. They called themselves officers of local Center for Prevention of Extremism (CPE).
They put me in a car, brought me to a field, undressed, tried to blackmail me and threatened with sexual violence. The men demanded that I tell them who I’d met with in Ingushetia and agree to work for CPE. They put a gun to my head and said they’d shoot.
When I refused to work for CPE or to give any info, they demanded that I keep silent about the incident. They beat me, breaking a rib, and threatened to kill my kids. After I agreed to “forget” everything, they allowed me to dress and drove me to a nearby airport and let me go.
I have filed a crime report to the Investigative Committee and met with the head of Presidential Council for Human Rights Mikhail Fedotov and Ingushetia’s ombudsman Dzhambulat Ozdoev. However, there is a tradition of impunity for such crimes, especially in the North Caucasus.
I want to thank Amnesty International staff for their support and solidarity throughout these days. On their advice, I've left Russia temporarily, but I hope to return soon and resume my work. For media requests, please contact press@amnesty.org
