The Suspicious Death of a Repatriate: Circassian Activists Demand an Independent Investigation into the Death of Nurdin Karaf
We, the undersigned representatives of the scientific and expert community, human rights activists, and public figures, express grave concern over the death of a young Circassian, Nurdin Karaf, who was reportedly murdered.
The disappearance and subsequent death of Nurdin (Najmuddin) Karaf have attracted widespread attention among Circassians in the Caucasus and throughout the diaspora.
According to open sources, Nurdin’s father began searching for him immediately after his disappearance. During this period, the father received phone calls containing direct threats regarding his son’s fate. The callers allegedly warned him that his son’s life would be in danger if he continued his national activism dedicated to the struggle for the rights of the Circassian people.
https://oc-media.org/repatriated-circassian-reportedly-threatened-by-fsb
Nurdin’s father, according to media reports, refused to comply with these threats and publicly stated that he had received threatening phone calls related to his son’s disappearance.
According to his statements, as quoted by media outlets, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service subsequently took Nurdin’s father and mother to an FSB facility in Nalchik, where they were allegedly subjected to pressure and further threats.
During this period, Nurdin’s father was reportedly forced to record a video claiming that his son voluntarily served as a contract soldier in the Russian armed forces. Circassian activists familiar with the case strongly deny this claim. They maintain that Nurdin was not a contract soldier and that his father’s recorded statement was made under duress. Therefore, they argue that the video cannot be considered a voluntary or reliable account of Nurdin’s military status or the circumstances of his disappearance.
According to the online resource “justicefornorthcaucasus.info”, sources close to the Russian intelligence services claim that Nurdin was forcibly conscripted by the Russian military and was destined to fight on the Ukrainian front. Sources indicate that he resisted being sent to war and was subsequently taken to a mobilization camp, the location of which remains unknown.
Nurdin was reportedly subjected to brutal torture in the camp. It is believed that he died as a result of the torture inflicted on him due to his resistance to forced mobilization.
His family was subsequently informed of his death and shown photographs of his body. However, the family was denied the release of Nurdin Karaf’s body. A forensic report or a transparent official explanation of the circumstances and exact cause of his death has not been made public, and an alternative autopsy is not possible due to lack of access to the body. Sources familiar with the case have expressed concern that the body could be stored for an extended period. Such a delay could result in potential signs of torture – especially soft tissue damage – and other forensic evidence becoming degraded or more difficult to identify, potentially jeopardizing an independent determination of the cause and circumstances of Nurdin’s death.
The news of the refusal to release the body has sparked widespread outrage within Circassian communities. There are also suspicions that the delay may be aimed at preventing an independent forensic examination and the effective documentation of injuries that could establish the cause of Nurdin’s death.
Circassian activists are calling for the immediate return of Nurdin’s body to his family, the preservation of all possible evidence, and an independent investigation into his forced mobilization, reports of torture, and death.
Furthermore, an apparently AI-generated image depicting Nurdin as an armed Russian soldier has also been distributed to support the claim that he voluntarily enlisted. Activists claim the fabricated image is part of an effort by Russian security services to legitimize this narrative and conceal the circumstances of his forced mobilization.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented reports of torture, deaths in custody, and other serious human rights violations in Russian places of detention. Against this backdrop, allegations of Nurdin Karaf’s death and reports of coercion against his family demand an independent and transparent investigation.
Long-term storage of the body could lead to the deterioration or concealment of important forensic evidence and significantly complicate the determination of whether torture was used. Nurdin’s body must be properly preserved, promptly returned to his family, and subjected to an independent forensic examination, involving licensed experts from non-governmental or alternative agencies.
We demand that the authorities and law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation comply with the Russian Federation Law “On Burial and Funeral Services,” which stipulates that relatives have the unconditional right to receive the body of the deceased for at least the necessary rites.
We demand an official medical certificate of death stating the exact cause and results of the forensic examination, and the possibility of a repeat independent examination. We demand compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, even if official bodies insist that Nurdin Karaf was a contract soldier. The state is obligated to facilitate the search, identification, and respectful return of the remains of the deceased to their families.
We demand that it be taken into account that if human rights defenders’ allegations of forced detention and torture are confirmed, the refusal to return the body will be considered under international law as continued inhumane treatment of the family of the deceased.
Failure to return the body has been qualified by the ECHR and the UN Human Rights Committee as a violation of the article prohibiting torture, recognizing it as a form of mental suffering inflicted upon the immediate family members.
We demand the following from the leadership of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the Investigative Committee, and the Prosecutor’s Office:
1. Immediately hand over the body of Nurdin Karaf to his parents for a dignified traditional burial and an independent forensic examination.
2. Provide complete, reliable medical documentation regarding the cause, time, and circumstances of his death.
3. Initiate a transparent criminal investigation into the charges of abduction, illegal detention, and torture.
4. Cease all harassment, intimidation, and pressure against the victim’s family and members of the public.
If our demands are not met, we will be forced to submit an urgent appeal to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, urging them to demand that the Russian Federation clarify Karaf’s fate and hand over his remains.
We call on the international community to pay attention to this precedent of egregious and inhumane human rights violations. The systemic and growing trend of ignoring generally accepted standards for the protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms in the Russian Federation, and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in particular, demands urgent global oversight.
Ibragim Yaganov, President of the “Caucasian Union”
Kase Kik, Chairman of the “International Circassian Political Committee”, Head of the “Circassian Congress of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic”
Marianna Sheru, Head of the “Circassian Center Foundation”
Hava Beshtoeva, Hava Beshtoeva, Ombudsman for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic at the “Ombudsman Media” project