The opposition Chechen channel Niyso reported that the relatives of its administrators were expelled from Chechnya after the channel reported on the public display of the body of a teenager who attacked police officers, writes «Caucasian Knot»*.
On April 11, after Friday prayers, male relatives of the administrators of the opposition channel were brought to the main mosque of the village of Elihanova (formerly Gikalo), where they were ostracized. A representative of Niyso clarified to «Caucasian Knot» that this is the ancestral village of the channel administrator Said-Ali Abubakirov.
«[They were] forced to hear curses and words of condemnation directed at them. A staged expulsion process was also conducted, during which the residents of the village allegedly demanded that our relatives leave Chechnya», writes the channel.
After this, as the channel writes, six men were taken to Ingushetia, where they were forced to sign documents on property confiscation. Their whereabouts are unknown.
«This is an act of intimidation—not of us, but of the population and potential activists who provide us with information. This act is directed specifically against them, although the authorities understand that we will continue our work», said a member of the movement.
The knife attack on police officers occurred on April 7 in the town of Achkhoy-Martan. One officer was killed, the other was injured. The attacking teenager was shot on the spot. After this, Ramzan Kadyrov demanded the expulsion of the attacker's relatives and the confiscation of their property.
Niyso published a video from the village of Achkhoy-Martan in Chechnya, where the authorities gathered people to view the body of the killed teenager, organizing a rally.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent».