September 21, 2007 -- International rights groups say a prominent Chechen activist has been abducted in the restive Russian republic.
In a joint statement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights said they believed Vagap Tutakov was abducted by armed men on September 12 in the Urus-Martan district of Chechnya.
Tutakov was an envoy for Chechnya during the 1990s, when he represented its separatist leadership before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The groups said there was "reason to believe that Tutakov was targeted for abduction due to his political ideas and affiliations."
(with AP)
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