with local residents and received several cuts. He was taken to a local hospital where his cuts were treated and a bandage was placed around his head. Balavdi Ustarkhanov subsequently decided to stay with his friend's family in ZakanYurt for several days.
8. On the night of 6 to 7 January 2003 (in the submitted documents the date was also referred to as the night of 6 January 2003) Balavdi Ustarkhanov stayed at Mr Magomed M.'s house at 72 Shkolnaya Street in Zakan-Yurt. The household consisted of two dwellings; one belonged to Mr Magomed M. and his family, and the other to the family of his uncle, Mr Makhadi M.
9. At about 6 a.m. a large group of armed men in camouflage uniforms broke into the household. Some of them were wearing masks. Those who were not wearing masks were of Slavic appearance. The men neither introduced themselves nor produced any documents. They spoke unaccented Russian and were equipped with portable radio sets. The residents of the household thought that they were Russian military servicemen.
10. The servicemen told everyone that they were looking for a person who was on the authorities' wanted list. They conducted an identity check and took away the passports of Mr Makhadi M. and Mr Magomed M. On completion of the check the servicemen were about to leave when one of them asked Balavdi Ustarkhanov why his head was bandaged. The latter explained that he had arrived at his friend's house for the holidays, that he had been hit with a sharp object and that his cuts had been treated at the local hospital. The serviceman then called someone via his portable radio set and reported that there was a man in the house who had not been registered as a resident and that his head was bandaged. The officer was ordered to take Balavdi Ustarkhanov away.
11. When Balavdi Ustarkhanov's friends asked the servicemen why they were taking him away, the officers said that they were just going to check what Balavdi was doing in the house. The servicemen took Balavdi Ustarkhanov outside without shoes or warm clothing. There they put him in one of the military vehicles parked next to the house: there were a military UAZ car, a minivan and an APC (armoured personnel carrier). The vehicles then drove away in the direction of the local checkpoint, manned by the Russian military forces.
12. The passport of Mr Makhadi M., which had been taken away by the abductors, was found some time later in the vicinity of Zakan-Yurt, on the road to Grozny, across the street from the Russian military checkpoint.
13. According to Mr Magomed M.'s neighbour, Mr I.A., who lived across the street, at about 5 a.m. on 7 January 2003 he and his relatives had seen from their windows two vehicles and a large group of armed servicemen, who spoke unaccented Russian. Some of them wore helmets; they were equipped with portable radio sets. The servicemen were standing next to their house and talking. One of the officers noticed the family car parked in the yard and asked Mr I.A's granddaughter whose car it was. When the girl responded that the car belonged to her uncle, the son of Mr I.A., the servicemen went into the house, dragged Mr I.A.'s son outside and started beating him with truncheons. Mr I.A. started screaming for help and begging the servicemen not to kill his son. Then one of them called someone via his radio set and said that they had apprehended three men, one of whom was not a local resident. Mr I.A. heard someone on the radio instructing the servicemen to leave the locals alone, to take the stranger with the wounded head and to leave the place. According to Mr I.A., he saw from his house a GAZ vehicle and a UAZ vehicle parked next to the house of his neighbour Mr Magomed M. After the servicemen left, Mr I.A. learned from his neighbours that the servicemen had taken away their guest, Balavdi Ustarkhanov. Mr I.A. was not questioned by the authorities ab
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