"Narrative Summit" Releases 2025 Recommendations to Cement Egypt's Position as a Global Tourism Destination    Egypt, S.Arabia step up trade ties through coordination council talks    Egypt reviews progress on $200m World Bank-funded waste management hub    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Deported Chechen student missing in Moscow
Published in Daily News Egypt on 23 - 06 - 2009

CAIRO: A Chechen Al-Azhar student recently deported to Russia from Egypt has gone missing, according to the Associated Press. Human rights groups have suggested that he was detained by Russian authorities in order to put pressure on his father, a prominent Chechen separatist. The student, Maskhud Abdullayev, was deported on June 19 after being held as part of a security crackdown by Egyptian authorities on the eve of President Barack Obama s speech at Cairo University.
Abdullayev was accompanied by his Chechen friend Ahmed Azimov.
Azimov claims that upon arriving at Moscow s Domodedovo Airport, the two were separated and he was questioned, according to statements made to Moscow Echo Radio by Abdullayev s mother. Abdullayev was held for further questioning. Azimov cleared customs and waited for his friend for several hours, but he never arrived. In a June 17 statement, Amnesty International warned that if Abdullayev is deported he will be at risk of torture or other-ill-treatment.
Amnesty urged Egypt not to forcibly return Abdullayev or any of the other students to Russia, citing Egypt s role as a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture, which prohibits the return of any national to an environment where it is possible they could be tortured. Fellow Chechens deported from Egypt believe he was taken by the Russian Special Service (FSB). He may be used as a leveraging tool with Russian authorities looking to achieve a confession and potentially the capture and sentencing of his father, Supyan Abdullayev, deputy to the president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have documented that Chechens are already the victims of discrimination and harassment in Moscow. Abdullayev was one of at least 40 students detained by Egyptian security forces at the end of May, shortly before the arrival of President Obama in Cairo.
The students were rounded up by security forces in their dormitories for allegedly violating visa regulations.
Of the students, 17 were immediately released. The remaining students were detained in the Tora prison or other facilities and were reportedly denied legal representation and access to foreign diplomats. Following this, many of the students were deported in the past week on visa violations. Amnesty International s June 17 statement highlighted the case of Abdullayev and five other Chechen students set to be deported.
The students claimed that they had refugee status in Azerbaijan before beginning their studies at Al-Azhar. However, their request to fly to Azerbaijan rather than Russia was denied. According to relatives, Abdullayev left Chechnya at the age of 12 and is not involved with the conflict there. He and his mother were subsequently granted asylum in Azerbaijan. His mother, who now lives in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, divorced Supyan Abdullayev and the family has not been in contact with him for years. Supyan Abdullayev serves the rebel leader Doku Umarov. He is considered a potential successor to this post. He has been extensively involved in the Chechen separatist movement, founding the Islamic Renaissance Party during the 1980s and rising through the ranks in the First and Second Chechen Wars. He has also become entrenched in internal disputes and is considered more of a religious than military figure. The small, predominantly Muslim republic in the Caucasus has been at odds with Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union. In an attempt to prevent secession, Russia has kept a tight grip on the republic, through violent force, the strangling of political movements and the installation of pro-Russia leaders. Abdullayev s whereabouts are still unknown. Friends, family and human rights workers have expressed concern for his safety, as the Russian Secret Service has detained without charge those with connections to Chechen separatists in the past.


Clic here to read the story from its source.