«They put a bag on my head, tied hands and threw me on the car floor»: details of Asan Egiz’s abduction

The Crimean Tatars Kurultay delegate, Asan Egiz told the details of his abduction.

Asan Egiz underwent a procedure for beatings removal in the Simferopol hospital and a police officer took testimony from him about the abduction. Now his life is not in danger.

As Egiz explained, people in uniforms stopped and dragged him into the car. First, they were the patrol officers. They asked Egiz to show his documents, then come with them and sit in their car. Since Asan Egiz refused doing that, a minibus with flashing beacons drove up to the place.

«The minibus stopped next to us, people ran up behind and dragged me there. They immediately put a bag on a head, tied my hands. (...) We went, as I understood it, for an hour to Simferopol, and then outside the city. (...) I was kidnapped, beaten and left in the forest,» Egiz said.

As lawyer Ayder Azamatov noted, the people dragged Crimean Tatar into the minibus were dressed in camouflage uniforms without identification marks and balaclava. Since the patrol officers asked Asan Egiz to show his documents, they began to transmit information on the radio. The minibus and kidnappers appeared some time after.

«He was brought to the forest, laid on the ground, removed handcuffs and asked him whether he knows counting. He affirmed. So, they told him to count up to 200 clearly and then leave. Meanwhile, they named his car location, which was also stolen from abduction place. Asan heard them and counted to 200. Afterwards, they took off his bag and left in an unknown direction,» the lawyer added.

Asan Egiz himself reached the city and phoned his relatives. At the same time, the lawyer and Egiz’s brothers filed an application to police about his abduction.

«It is utter chaos. In the middle of the day, accompanied by possible traffic police officers (it is not established by the investigation yet), people are kidnapped without any explanations. It is too early to say if Asan’s rights are going to be respected. We still do not know what will be in the end. We filed all the relevant documents, statements about the abduction, about a possible crime by the officials. (...) We will demand a full, comprehensive, objective investigation on Asan Egiz’s abduction,» Azamatov said and noted «on May 24, they and Asan Egiz will file an application to the police».

Egiz himself associates his abduction with the regular Crimean Tatars harassment in Crimea because of their active civic position.

Abduraman Egiz informed about his brother’s abduction on Wednesday, May 23. Asan Egiz was detained at Pionerskoe village, nearby Simferopol. People came to his car and pulled him out of the car. Dragging Egiz into a Volkswagen silver car, he was taken away to an unknown destination. Any connection with him after was disappeared. Egiz’s relatives, arriving at the place of abduction, did not find Asan’s car. The car was found later at a gas station in Simferopol.