The Murder of Murat Bogatyryov at the district Department of Internal Affairs of the Malgobek district

4.7. The Murder of Murat Bogatyryov at the district Department of Internal Affairs of the Malgobek district.

At 8 a.m. the relatives who were standing outside the police building, saw the naked dead body of Bogatyryov being taken out. The wife of the murdered was told that Murad died of a heart attack. The body was not returned to the family, the officers stated that it would be taken to the Bureau of Forensic Expertise of the Russian Ministry of Health.

A few hours later the wife of Bogatyryov returned home and saw that the "siloviks" were again conducting a search in the house. One of them became agitated asking why she came. The wife of Bogatyryov offered them a key from the trailer. The key was not accepted as they refused to go into the trailer saying that they wanted to search the yard instead. According to the operational summary report of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Ingushetia, during the repeated search PK cartridges 7.62 mm - 1,092 pieces, AK cartridges 7.62 mm - 37 pcs. To AK, 5.45 mm - 85 pcs, to PM - 9 mm - 38 pcs, grenade RPG-5 - 1 pc., magazine case of AK with 30 cartridge of 5.45 mm. A criminal case was opened pursuant to Article 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Encroachment on the Life of an Officer of a Law-enforcement Agency), Para.2 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of th Russian Federation (Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Sale, Storage, Transportation, or Bearing of Firearms, Its Basic Parts, Ammunition, Explosives, and Explosive Devices). The relatives did not received a copy of the protocol of the search, they have not seen the attesting witnesses either.

On September 9, 2007 on the Televison Channel 5, the “Now” news block reported that Bogatyryov who was arrested on suspicion of attacking a military baze in Malgobek on September 5, died in detention of a heart failure. It was claimed that he had been an active participant of the illegal armed formations and that he was in charge of the financial support of the militants.

According to the wife of the murdered Bogatyryov, numerous witnesses - relatives and neighbors - can confirm that at the time of the attack on the military base Murat was not in Malgobek at all but visiting his parents in Nazran. The body of Bogatyryov, taken away from the morgue by his relatives, bore numerous traces of beatings, which was certified on a video and photo tape.

With regard to the death of Bogatyryov inside the police building in the city of Malgobek the Department of Investigation initiated criminal case No 07540061 pursuant to Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (exceeding official powers). The forensic expertise confirms that the body of Bogatyryov bore signs of injuries of moderate severity. Bogatyryov never suffered from any heart-related diseases and never took any related medication, no complaints were heard from him in this regard on the eve of his detention either.

By virtue of a decree dated December 31, 2007, the special investigator, Junior Counselor of Justice, M.T. Dzeytov, suspended the investigation of the criminal case No 07540061 due to not-establishment of the person to be charged with committing this crime.

In mid-January 2008, the Prosecutor's Office of the city of Malgobek resumed its investigation of this criminal case.

The interests of the widow of Bogatyryov are represented by a lawyer invited by the Memorial.

4.8. The special operation in Chemulga, the murder of the six-year-old boy Rakhim Amriev.

The "siloviks" blockaded the house and, as Ramzan Amriev learned later from their neighbors, broke a window, threw inside a smoke bomb, thus creating a dense smoke screen. The Amrievs were asleep in a distant room on the other side of the house and did not feel the smell. They woke up only when they heard the command from the loudspeaker: "Women and children, come out!".

Inside the house at that moment were Ramzan and Raissa Amrievs and their four children, Louisa, 17, Orshtho, 15, Laliska, 11, Rakhim, 6. The shooting from submachine guns broke out at the entrance door and three armed men entered the house shouting "Down, you bitches!" while firing randomly. Amriev fell down onto the floor together with Rakhim, whom he tried to cover with his arm. After the first submachine-gun burst he saw the arm of his wife, all in blood -- a bullet had hit her finger. Raissa cried out in Russian "They killed him!". Ramzan turned Rakhim round and saw a bullet hole in the head of the child from which blood was pouring.

The Amrievs were taken out of their beds and brought out into the street, put against the back wall of the house. They were not allowed to take Rakhim’s body with them. Then, half-dressed, barefoot, they were led to a neighboring hill, where armored personnel carriers and other vehicles were parked. After that, the "siloviks" unfolded an imitation of a real battle, they opened fire, pelted the house with grenades. All this lasted for about 20-30 minutes. The house was empty, except for the murdered boy’s body. Later, women and children from the neighboring houses were also brought to the place where the Amrievs were kept while the men were forced to crawl the 100-150 meters separating them from that spot in mud.

After a while, Ramzan Amriev was separated from the rest and taken to his house. On the floor the body of the murdered child was lying - this time it also bore traces of missile wounds. One of the ”siloviks” said: "Take him out, you bitch, I am giving you a few seconds." Amriev quickly grabbed the child’s blanket and wrapped the body of Rakhim, all covered with blood, in it after which he took it back to the people standing on the hill. Then the soldiers crashed the house with the armored personnel carrier, again exposed it to direct fire and threw grenades at it.

All this was only over after 11 am. All this time - for three and a half hours - the people, 13 children, women, in total 20-25 persons, were standing on the hill, half-undressed, many were barefoot. Finally, when the people had already begun turning blue with cold, the soldiers brought a "Gazel" vehicle and took them to the house of the head of the village administration Aslan Amriev. The "siloviks" ordered him to confirm that somebody had opened fire from submachine guns from the house of Ramzan Amriev, threatening him with forced "disappearance" if he disobeys, but Amriev refused to commit perjury.

At 11:30 am officers of the Military Prosecutor's office arrived to Chemulga. Only then to the scene of the events were admitted the local police officers, including the precinct superintendent, who had unsuccessfully been trying to enter the village from 9 o'clock in the morning.

Amriev was brought to the ruins of his house and an official from the Military Prosecutor's office asked him pointing at the machine lying among the ruins: "Is this yours?". Amriev smiled and said that he did not even keep a gun in his house.

Witnesses claimed later that the same official from the Military Prosecutor's office had said to his colleagues: "So where is the gunman, disappeared into the blue or what?!". Taking that submachine gun, he smelled the barrel and said that it had not been used for ten years.

Officially Amriev was told that his house was the centre of a special operation aimed at detention of R.R. Makhauri who was allegedly hiding in there. Makhauri is a distant relative of Amriev’s but the latter argues that he last saw him six years ago and that since then he had not heard anything from him⁴⁹.

The day after the murder of Rakhim criminal case No 34/91/0139-07 D "on the fact of killing of a child during a special operation" was opened.

The reaction of the authorities of the Republic of Ingushetia to this tragedy followed three days later.

On November 12, the Press Service of the President of Ingushetia reported:

"Today in Magas the President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov held a meeting with the Prosecutor of the Republic Yuri Turygin and the Minister of Interior Moussa Medov. The Head of the Republic was hearing the reports from the Prosecutor and the Minister of the Interior on the incident in the village of Chemulga.

The Prosecutor of RI Yuri Turygin reported to the President of Ingushetia that a criminal case on the incident had been opened, the investigation was conducted by the Military Prosecutor's office.

The President pointed out to the heads of the law enforcement agencies the need to take a most active part in a thorough investigation of the incident and declared that he would take the investigation under his personal control. The president also noted that the Government of the Republic granted a material assistance to the family of the murdered child. "

On November 13, Rakhim's father, Ramzan, was recognized as victim in this criminal case.

The authorities did not neglect the efforts of those who tried to publicize the events in Chemulga or resisted the "concoction” of the version of the events, which would be more favoured by the ”siloviks".

On the night from 23 to 24 November in the city of Nazran several journalists of the REN-TV television channel who were covering the murder of a child in the village of Chemulga were abducted from the "Assa" hotel by officers of the security forces and subsequently severely beaten. All the materials filmed were stolen.

On December 15, following a call "from the above" Aslan Amriev was dismissed from his job⁵⁰. For several years he had served as the head of administration of the village of Chemulga. Ramzan Amriev is positive that Aslan was dismissed because of his refusal to perjure in court on the murder of his son.