Abdullah Erzanukayev

Abdullah Erzanukayev was an engineer and builder, built houses in Chechnya, putting his money into the economy of his country. The Russian armed forces laid waste to what he had built, and his plans and hopes too. Saving his family, he came over to the West with his wife and three daughters, searching for political asylum. After numerous ordeals, he requested political asylum in France. Being a man of a peaceful profession, he had chosen not to pick up a gun and go off to fight, still choosing, however, to serve his republic in the best way he could: in the West, he successfully engaged in business, with almost all profit going on humanitarian aid in Chechnya as well as help for Chechen refugees in Azerbaijan. He organised trips to Chechnya for western journalists, organising protection for them in the war-torn republic.

For this activity, the Chechen earned the displeasure of the Russian FSB. The authorities sequestered his remaining business in Russia. In Moscow, his relatives were exposed to prosecutions. In 2000, his wife Zarema, on a visit to Russia to see relatives, was arrested in Moscow and, detained on foolish accusations, spent half a year in the Moscow investigatory prison, the infamous Lefortovo. After a press campaign in her defence, she was released directly from the courtroom.

In February 2001, an article appeared in the Austrian magazine “Profil”, in which the author exposed “gullible” border policemen, who had allowed Erzanukayev into the country ostensibly for perpetration in contract killings. This was of course absolute nonsense. Erzanukayev accused the magazine of slander, brought an action against it in the Austrian courts, and won. In the court it was discovered that “Profil” had made use of information received by the Austrian secret service from the Russian embassy in Austria.

Most probably, the FSB joy at collaboration with their Austrian colleagues was abruptly cut short by the independence of the Vienna court. However, certain Erzanukayev was financing Shamil Basayev’s groups and in general was an embodiment of world evil and a driving force behind the Chechen resistance, the FSB did not cease its attempts to get its “favourite enemy”.

One of Erzanukayev’s business partners in France refused to meet his commitments towards Erzanukayev and declined to pay a debt. The emigrant from Russia, resident in France, explained to the Chechen that the FSB would “settle up” with (the Russian’s) family if he continued to cooperate with Erzanukayev. The affair concerned several hundred thousand dollars, but the Chechen did not press the matter, leaving the debt and the collaboration with the FSB on the conscience of his unreliable partner. However, later on the partner did repay at least part of his outstanding debt.

But the affair, it goes without saying, did not end there. Two years later, the wayward partner, perhaps struck down by fear of his Chechen partner (or successfully collaborating with the Secret Service), informed the French authorities that Erzanukayev was forcing him to repay the debt. He did not offer any proof of this, but did not need to: on 17 September, more than a dozen employees of the French financial police burst into Erzanukayev’s house and carried out a pogrom masquerading as a search. Papers were removed by the box-load without any inventory being made; mobile phones were confiscated; even several bottles of cognac and whisky were removed! The police conducted themselves roughly and rudely. The Erzanukayev children, having partly forgotten the horrors in Chechnya and the manner of the Russian forces there, now were faced with new realities. For Erzanukayev, the affair ended with him being carted off to the Fren prison in Paris.

Erzanukayev’s lawyers are perplexed: the criminal case appears completely unpromising, with neither proof nor any other particularly convincing reason for their mandate’s arrest. In far more serious cases, the French judicial system behaves less rudely and in not such a biased way towards the accused. All realize that there is more to the Erzanukayev affair than meets the eye, that there lie unstated interests behind it. However, the “experts” in this case are no doubt trying not to stand out and shine, for fear of suffering the same fate as their hapless Austrian colleagues.

Abdullah Erzanukayev is still in prison. In Chechnya war still goes on. Freedom-loving France is busy strengthening its friendship with democratic Russia.