Chechen president accused of strong-arming refugees to return
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 10 March 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Chechen president accused of strong-arming refugees to return, 10 March 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49b68d2721.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 10, 2009
Anzor Maskhadov's father, Aslan Maskhadov, was killed by Russian troops in 2005.
PRAGUE – Anzor Maskhadov, son of the late Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, says Chechen authorities are trying to force him and other relatives to return to Chechnya from Norway, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Maskhadov said that his family received several phone calls from people who said they were messengers of Chechnya's Moscow-backed president, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Maskhadov said the callers warned him that if he and his family members did not return to Chechnya from their homes in Norway, they and relatives in Chechnya would be killed.
He speculated that the Kremlin-backed Chechen authorities were trying to use his family's return for propaganda purposes.
President Aslan Maskhadov was killed by Russian troops in March 2005. His family has been living in Norway for several years.
