A former Chechen separatist official says he was abducted and tortured in France in August by men he believes to have been Russian security agents exacting revenge against him for accusing Putin of war crimes, according to a new report by Time magazine. Time reported that the attack on Said-Emin Ibragimov in Strasbourg came only weeks after the former separatist communications minister sent a criminal complaint to the International Criminal Court accusing Putin of atrocities during the Second Chechen War. Ibragimov said he was released after being held captive and tortured for two days by men who spoke flawless Russian, with Moscow rather than Chechen accents.
French police are investigating the incident, one of several in recent years that have seen Chechen exiles and opponents of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov targeted in violent, often fatal, attacks across Europe and the Middle East.
Here are five prominent high-profile incidents involving Chechen exiles targeted or threatened while living abroad over the past decade.