Around 10 young men were detained in Chechnya for allegedly criticizing the republic’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, in online messengers, the Kavkaz.Realii news outlet reported Tuesday.
The men were reportedly detained earlier in July in the North Caucasus republic’s capital Grozny and in the city of Shali for sharing video clips critical of Kadyrov, Kavkaz.Realii reported, citing an anonymous local source.
Earlier this month, the Novaya Gazeta newspaper published the names of 27 individuals reportedly killed by Chechen law enforcement officers in early 2017. Most of the victims are believed to have been detained as part of a sweeping anti-terror raid that began late last year.
The Memorial rights group said on Monday it had verified that 13 individuals listed in the newspaper’s report had been arrested. Four died while in police detention, but nine remain unaccounted for, the group said.