Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a Chechen dissident identified for his vocal criticism of Chechnya’s strongman chief Ramzan Kadyrov, has reportedly been killed.
In response to Chechen opposition motion 1ADAT, the dissident blogger was reportedly killed shortly after going lacking in Sweden.
“Tumso was shot at night time by a bunch of individuals,” 1ADAT mentioned in a social media put up Monday, citing unidentified sources.
1ADAT additionally claimed that Abdurakhmanov’s brother Muhammad had been “hidden away by the intelligence companies.”
Anzor Maskhadov, a outstanding determine amongst Chechenya’s European diaspora, confirmed Abdurakhmanov’s loss of life. The information was later reported by Radio Svoboda, an affiliate of U.S. media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Abdurakhmanov, 36, had beforehand survived an tried assassination in Sweden two years in the past when he was attacked in his dwelling by an assailant wielding a hammer. A Swedish court docket sentenced the suspects to 10 and eight years in jail, respectively.
The dissident had been dwelling in exile since 2015, when he fled Chechnya on account of threats to his life. He was denied asylum in Poland and has since remained in hiding in Sweden.
Swedish police have but to substantiate the experiences surrounding Abdurakhmanov’s loss of life.
Since his rise to energy in 2007, Kadyrov has dominated the semi-autonomous republic of Chechnya like his private fiefdom. He’s routinely accused of orchestrating human rights abuses together with assassinations, abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and purges concentrating on the native LGBTQ+ group.
Regardless of his harrowing human rights document, Kadyrov stays an influential determine on the earth of blended martial arts. He based his personal MMA group and gymnasiums—all of which had been positioned beneath U.S. Treasury sanctions—and has rubbed shoulders with a few of the most well-known figures within the sport, together with former UFC champions akin to Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo, Frank Mir, Chris Weidman, Fabricio Werdum, Frankie Edgar, Kamaru Usman, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Kadyrov additionally has a longstanding relationship with UFC star Khamzat Chimaev, a Chechen native who at present resides in Sweden.
