By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East       

CAIRO, Egypt – On June 19 Egypt deported the son of a Chechen rebel leader back to Moscow, in spite of concerns of mistreatment and torture in Russian custody. Maskhud Abdullaev, the 22 year-old son of Supyan Abdullaev, was flown to Moscow despite warnings that he may face mistreatment and torture if deported. Supyan Abdullaev, with Movladi Udugoy, founded the Islamic Resistance Party, which has fought against Russia in two disputes.

Maskhud Abdullaev was detained as a result of a bomb attack in February in a popular Cairo tourist area that killed a French teenager. Egypt blamed the attack on militants with links to the terrorist organization al Qaeda. An investigation led to security sweeps that resulted in the detention of dozens of foreign students in May. Abdullaev was detained along with five other students that were studying at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Islamic University. Abdullaev has been studying there since 2006.

The human rights organization Amnesty International reports that Abdullaev was initially held incommunicado at Egypt’s Tora prison. Amnesty also reported that Abdullaev and the other students from Al-Azhar University claimed to have refugee status in Azerbaijan. However, Egyptian authorities insisted upon the students’ return to Moscow, in spite of risks of torture and mistreatment if they are sent to Russia.

Abdullaev and Ahmed Azimov, another Chechen student from Al-Azhar, arrived in Moscow on Friday via Egypt air. These two were supposed to be deported along with four other students on Thursday, but a traffic jam separated them from the group.

Satsita, Maskhud’s mother, waited in the Moscow airport to catch a glimpse of her son when he returned. She did not see him, and could not get any further information from the customs officers or other officers. When Azimov, Abdullaev’s travel mate, came out, he said that he and Abdullaev had been separated and questioned. That was the last that Azimov had seen of Abdullaev.  

Amnesty International warned against the deportation, because it put all six students at risk of torture and mistreatment. Amnesty criticized Egypt for deporting these students. Egypt is a state party to the United Nations Convention on Torture, which expressly prohibits the return of anyone to a place which they would likely be tortured. All five students would be at risk of mistreatment, but Abdullaev would especially be at risk because of his father.

For more information, please see:

Al Arabiya-  Fate of Deported Chechen Warlord’s Son Unknown– 21 June 2009

AFP- Egypt Deports Chechen Warlord’s Son– 19 June 2009

Reuters- Egypt Deports Son of Chechen Rebel Leader to Moscow – 19 June 2009

AFP-Egypt Deports Chechen Students– 18 June 2009

Amnesty International- Egypt: Forcible Return/ Fear of Torture or Other Ill-Treatment– 17 June 2009