CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

Body of torture victim Adam Gorchkhanov laid to rest

By Ruslan Isayev

PLIYEVO, Ingushetia - Adam Gorchkhanov, arrested a week ago by Russian security forces, was buried today in Ingushetia.

For two days none of the various security agencies were able to shed any light on his whereabouts. Only after an extensive search by the victim’s relatives were they able to discover that he had been held in detention center (SIZO) in Vladikavkaz, capital of neighboring North Ossetia.

Gorchkhanov’s arrest was based on his having a pistol in his house, although all his relatives and neighbors who witnessed the arrest absolutely deny this.

On May 30 his health deteriorated rapidly and he was moved to one of the city hospitals in Vladikavkaz where he died shortly afterward. His body revealed many signs of torture, including abrasions, bruises and burns.

Gorchkhanov's body was returned to his relatives who laid him to rest in his native village of Pliyevo.

(MG/E,T)