Human rights lawyer Abubakar Yangulbaev is no novice when it comes to standing up to Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russias republic of Chechnya.But his recent offer to give himself up to Kadyrov in exchange for the release of his mother who has been held in a Chechen prison for more than a year has attracted an unprecedented amount of public attention.While many commended Yangulbaevs bravery, others voiced fears that, as a longtime Kadyrov critic, he would likely face torture and even execution at the hands of the local security services if he returned to the North Caucasus republic.The offer itself was put on the table in April last year, but I made it public now and thats because of the legal powerlessness and legal nihilism that have come into existence since the war in Ukraine, Yangulbaev, 31, told The Moscow Times in a phone interview.While Yangulbaev has continued his human rights work since fleeing Russia in 2021, these days he spends much of his time trying to get his mother released.If you, Kadyrov, are a man, if you consider yourself the personification of the ultimate masculinity you must let her out, Yangulbaev said in his video challenge to Kadyrov that he posted on his social media pages last month.If were living under wartime rules, and the law doesnt work in Russia or in Chechnya why dont we exchange her for me? Dont touch the women.
Take me instead.Zarema Musaeva, the wife of retired judge Saydi Yangulbaev.Yelena Afonina / TASSChechnya, which Kadyrov has ruled with an iron fist since 2007, has become notorious for widespread human rights abuses.Western countries and human rights watchdogs have condemned Kadyrov for allegedly overseeing a system of harassment, arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of those who criticize his leadership.Yangulbaevs mother, Zarema Musaeva, was detained by Chechen law enforcement in January 2022, in the familys apartment in the city of Nizhny Novgorod some 420 kilometers east of Moscow.She wasnt even allowed to take a shawl or an overcoat when it was about minus 20 or 30 Celsius outside, said Yangulbaev, adding that his mother was subsequently deprived of access to the insulin she needs to manage her diabetes.Musaeva was arrested in relation to a 2019 fraud case in Chechnya that human rights groups have described as politically motivated.Chechen security officers also attempted to detain Musaevas husband, the retired federal judge Saydi Yangulbaev, but he couldnt be arrested due to his judicial immunity.Musaeva was subsequently transferred to a Chechen prison.The goal was to take her as a hostage, said Yangulbaev.Yangulbaevs brothers, Ibragim and Baysangur, both also vocal critics of Kadyrov, left Russia many months before their mothers arrest, but Yangulbaev chose to stay in the country and continue his human rights work focusing on Chechnya.A protest in central Grozny against former Chechen Supreme Court judge Saydi Yangulbaev and his family in 2022.
Yelena Afonina / TASSIn December 2020, he himself was detained.I initially resisted and actually fought when they arrested me you can see in the photos from after the arrest that I have a face injury, said Yangulbaev.But for reasons he does not understand, Yangulbaev said he was freed after law enforcement searched his apartment, confiscated his electronic devices and questioned him.He left Russia for the South Caucasus nation of Georgia soon after and just a month later Chechen law enforcement detained his mother.From the very first day we tried to attract a lot of public attention [to Musaevas case] through the media, influential people, politicians, human rights activists and even foreign states, said the lawyer, noting that even a promise by Russias Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova to supervise the case had not yielded results.Meanwhile, top Chechen officials including Kadyrov have repeatedly threatened the dissident Yangulbaev family."This familys place is either in prison or six feet under While even one Chechen is alive, members of this family wont be able to roam free, Kadyrov wrote last year on Telegram.State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, a close ally of Kadyrov, threatened to cut off the heads of Yangulbaev and his family.
Day and night no matter what it takes from our lives, property or offspring we will chase you, he posted on Instagram.Yangulbaevs father, Saydi, and sister, Aliya, left Russia after Musaevas arrest in fear for their lives.
Days later, the Chechen authorities stripped the elder Yangulbaev of his formal judicial status, meaning he was no longer protected from arrest by judicial immunity.Despite Kadyrovs apparent love for public feuds with opponents often conducted through his Telegram channel that has over 3 million subscribers Yangulbaevs offer to surrender himself for his mother so far remains unanswered.Abubakar Yangulbaev.Courtesy photoIn reality, he [Kadyrov] is a coward.
He is a weak-willed, spineless creature who talks big but when similar things are directed at him he stays silent, said Yangulbaev.His bravado, his masculinity is a sham.
Its a show.
In reality, he is the leading coward of Chechnya and all of the country.Still waiting for a response, Yangulbaev continues his human rights work in Chechnya and the wider Caucasus region from a new home in Europe building a network of informants on the ground, countering propaganda and giving free legal advice to those in need.Everything, of course, is only getting worse, said the lawyer when asked about the state of human rights in Chechnya.
Torture continues as usual.But no matter the daily workload, Yangulbaev said he remains preoccupied with considering different strategies for freeing his mother.We will continue working on our defense in court and continue to attract public attention, he said about his next steps.The further along we get, the more radical ideas come into my head I dont even know if it is appropriate to voice them right now.