Former Guantanamo Prisoner Held after Nalchik Killings near death

Rasul Kudayev, was born and brought up in Kabarda-Balkaria . He was one of 7 Russian nationals arrested by U.S. troops in Afghanistan almost 4 years ago to the day on 31st October 2001.

The US forces opened fire on a truck of prisoners, and killed many unarmed men in cold blood. Rasul was fortunate to survive but sustained a serious injury to his hip. To this day, the bullet remains in Rasul's hip. Throughout his time in detention, at Kandahar and eventually in Guantanamo, Rasul was denied medical treatment, despite the US forces knowing that he was injured. Like countless other detainees, he was also tortured.

In March of 2004 all 7 were handed over to Russia (after secret negotiations) where they all were charged with illegal crossing of a state border, mercenary activities and participation in a criminal gang. In June of the same year all the charges were dropped and the men were released. Since then Rasul has been living in Nalchik , which is the main city of the Muslim Kabardino-Balkaria region, near rebel Chechnya. The region borders North Ossetia, where Chechen fighters attacked a school in Beslan last year.

Since his release, he has been unable to get treatment in Russia for his wound. Russian policy states that an individual is required to possess a Russian passport before being allowed medical treatment. Rasul has tried unsuccessfuly to obtain a passport on numerous occasions as the Russian authorities are continuously investigating him for various alleged 'offences'.

Rasul is now bedridden and cannot even get up without assistance. He is very young (in his 20's) and should be the breadwinner for his family. However, due to his injury, his elderly mother has to go out to work.

The only way in which Rasul's health can be restored is via private medical treatment, in order to have the bullet removed.

In August of this year, the head of the Russian Islamic Committee, Geidar Jemal, reported on Rasul Kudayev having been abducted in Nalchik. “People wearing balaclava masks and dressed in camouflage seized Kudayev in the presence of his mother and sister and took him to an unknown destination,” Jemal said. “I think that Kudayev may be subjected to torture. He is a very sick man and if he is tortured, he may not survive,” Jemal concluded.

Several days later Kudayev was released.

Chechen separatists have claimed responsibility for what the authorities say was a "carefully planned" simultaneous attack on police, army and Federal Security Service buildings on October 13th 2005 in Nalchick. A military operation was launched to dislodge a handful of rebels who were holding a small group of civilians in a shop in the centre of the town. They killed their Chechen captors who had held them overnight in Nalchick in the Caucasus, effectively ending a huge rebel raid that reportedly has killed dozens of people.

Justice officials say eight rebels were killed, and their five captives freed, after they tried to drive away in a mini-bus from the police station in the town centre where they had been holed-up overnight.

Chechen separatists have claimed responsibility for what the authorities say was a "carefully planned" simultaneous attack on police, army and Federal Security Service buildings.

The exact number killed (up to 200 people is commonly claimed) and injured on both sides remains unclear.(Rebels statement from KAVKAZ Centre)

Calm has now been restored to Nalchik, but though the Kremlin claims it has the Caucasus under control, events on the ground appear different.

Reasons for the hold up and kidnapping are still unclear but earlier in October, a woman said to be a sister of Chechen warlord, Doku Umarov, went missing in Chechnya. Natasha Khumadova, a resident of Urus-Martan, was abducted by unknown gunmen, the republican Interior Ministry had reported.

The authorities suspect Doku Umarov of assisting Shamil Basayev in organizing a blast in Znamenskoye killing 14 people when a UAZ truck hit a mine earlier this summer.

Russian rights activists, on their part, do not rule out that Khumadova’s disappearance could be an act of what they describe as official counter-taking of hostages aimed to exert pressure on the rebel leader.

On Saturday 22nd October 2005 sources said Kudayev was arrested by local police after they had questioned other suspects arrested in the wake of the Oct. 13 raid in Nalchik . “There is evidence that he was involved in an attack on a traffic police post in Khasanye,” the source said.

In Rasul Kudayev’s case, the basis for the search was an anonymous call to the UBOP MVD hotline of Kabardino-Balkaria.

At least that is the basis indicated in the order signed by an inspector in the Major Case department of the General Procurator's office of the Southern Federal Region, Senior Adviser, Y. Savrulin. The anonymous caller supposedly reported that Kudayev himself participated in the attack in Nalchik, and had weapons and ammunition stored in his house. The search found nothing, but Rasul Kudayev was nevertheless detained in spite of the absence of an attorney

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The 'War on Terror' is about to claim yet another innocent as one of its victims as Rasul Kudayev is slowly facing death after severe torture and abuse by the Russian FBS. False allegations by an anonymous source claimed that Rasul was behind the siege on Nalchik on 13th October 2005. Despite having searched his entire house, they have not found any evidence linking him to the attacks.

A government appointed lawyer has confirmed that Rasul has been beaten so badly that he cannot speak or even raise his head in acknowledgment. His family have been told to prepare for the worst by the doctor who examined him. After having been tortured during his time in Kandahar and Guantanamo Bay, this most recent abuse has placed him in a critical state.

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