Murat Gasaev

Who is Murat Gasaev?

Murat Gasaev, an ethnic Chechen, was a refugee in Spain from the Russia's Republic of Ingushetia. In December 2008, he was extradited to Russia despite protests by human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It was feared that Gasaev might be at risk of torture and ill-treatment, as well as the denial of a fair trial due to the potential use of evidence extracted under torture in Russia.

The Russia's extradition request appeared to have been based on statements by a prisoner in Russian custody who accused Gasaev of being a participant in the events of June 2004 while under interrogation by the Federal Security Service. That detainee, Idris Matiev, later retracted his statement, alleging that he had been subjected to beatings, torture with electric shocks and threats against his family. Gasaev has claimed that he was detained in Ingushetia in August 2004 by five masked officers, who took him to the central office of the FSB in Ingushetia, where he was tortured and questioned about the attack. He was not charged and was released after three days of torture.