How are the rights of Chechens being violated?
Yelena Maglevannaya: Violation of rights would be a very mild description. Chechens were beaten, their feet were nailed to the floor, as in case of above-mentioned Zubair Zubairaev; impaled with iron rods and attacked with guard dogs, as in case of Islam Taipov in Tomsk’s IK-3 prison camp. Severely ill Zaurbek Talkhigov, who is imprisoned for his efforts to rescue the Nord-Ost hostages, was denied a vitally important medical operation, or any medical treatment whatsoever. This is not to mention that they spend practically entire prison terms in punishment cells, in outrageously severe conditions, cold and dampness. FP: Why is the Russian government oppressing the Chechens? Yelena Maglevannaya: Although the Russian leaders have repeatedly claimed that the military action in Chechnya is over, the Chechens in Russia are still treated as enemies. When they are imprisoned, they are often guarded by people who have fought against them as Federal troops during the war, and now work in prison
