Former Chechen Minister of Health Dr Omar Khambiev is a high-profile critic of the impunity enjoyed by Russian federal forces responsible for massive human rights violations against civilians in Chechnya. He is now living in western Europe, but his family remains in Chechnya and many of them are in grave danger: more than 80 of his relatives were recently arbitrarily detained for several days and allegedly tortured, in an apparent attempt to force him to stop criticizing the authorities and return to Chechnya. Further threats have since been reported against them.
