Zelim Bakaev

Zelimkhan Khoussainovich Bakaev (Russian: Зелимхан Хусаинович Бакаев; born 23 April 1992) was a Chechen singer. He disappeared in Chechnya on 8 August 2017, while on a brief visit to the region to attend his sister's wedding. He is widely believed to have been abducted, tortured, and murdered by the Chechen authorities as part of their systematic persecution of homosexual men.[1][2][3]

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Khoussainovich and the family name is Bakaev.
Zelim Bakaev
Зелим Бакаев
Born(1992-04-23)23 April 1992
Grozny, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Disappeared8 August 2017 (aged 25)
Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russian Federation
StatusMissing for 6 years, 2 months and 18 days
CitizenshipRussian
OccupationSinger

Career

Zelim Bakaev (sometimes Bakayev) was born to Khoussain and Malika Bakaev in Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic. Passionate about music, he began singing at a young age in Chechnya. He worked for a year and a half at the Department of Culture of the Grozny Mayor's Office, and became one of the soloists of the song and dance ensemble "Stolitsa" (in Russian, Столица) and performed concerts in Chechnya and other North Caucasian republics. His repertoire included songs in the Chechen language and in Russian. He became popular particularly in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and eventually in Russia.[4] In 2013, he took part in the annual Vainakh Awards for upcoming artists.[5] His big break came with singles like "Мичахь хьо лела безам", "Доьхна Дог" and "Нана" ("Nana" in English) and in collaboration with Elbika Jamaldinova hits "Не хватает тебя" (Miss You) and "Без тебя" (Without You). He also cooperated with the producer Gilany Stadnik and was managed by Leila Vakhayeva. In 2017, Bakaev applied for casting in the Russian version of Star Academy called Fabrika Zvyozd in its 10th season. The series was to start in September 2017 on the Russian television chain Muz-TV.[4][6]

Disappearance

On 6 August 2017, Bakaev travelled to Grozny to attend his sister's wedding. He was due back in Moscow a few days later as he was scheduled to take part in a Russian musical contest on 10 August. On 8 August, he was reportedly arrested by Special Rapid Deployment (SOBR) security forces, this according to two eyewitnesses as they recounted to Dozhd TV.[4][7] Bakaev's cellular phone was also deactivated the same day. Speculations ran that his arrest was for suspicion of being gay.[1] Chechnyan authorities had declared an anti-LGBT campaign with many reports of persecution of homosexuals in the republic.[8] Bakaev had been previously forbidden from any public appearance in Chechnya.[9]

Bakaev's mother Malika and his aunt received a message that Bakaev had "left" Chechnya. On 18 August, Malika filed a complaint for her son's disappearance with the Grozny police and on 22 August appealed to the Human Rights Council demanding clarifications from them and the Chechen Interior ministry. The Chechen minister of Foreign Affairs and Information denied any involvement by the Chechen authorities in the affair. The Chechen police claimed that Bakaev had purchased a ticket for a train from Nalchik to Moscow with the departure on 11 August.

On 14 September, the American human rights organisation Human Rights First urged the US State Department to intervene with the Russian authorities about Zelim Bakaev.[10]

On 16 September, the singer's mother publicly appealed to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov asking about her son, but on 18 September, the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to open a criminal investigation into the disappearance of Bakaev.

Dzhambulat Umarov, Chechnya's minister for national policy, external relations, press, and information, was quoted in RBC as saying, "The guy is not a Wahhabi, not a terrorist, he isn’t involved in any cases. No structures took him, for a hundred years no-one will need him", adding that Bakaev would "reappear soon".[11]

On 24 September 2017, a suspicious video appeared allegedly taken in Germany with a look-alike claiming to be Bakaev saying he was now in Germany. The video was first uploaded to a makeshift YouTube account and then broadcast on Grozny TV shortly thereafter. Friends and family of the singer have questioned the legitimacy of the video due to the appearance of Russian furniture and equipment appearing in the footage as well as beverages and alcoholic brands not marketed in Germany. A high-ranking diplomat from the EU mission in Russia also confirmed that Bakaev did not cross the border of any of the Schengen countries in August 2017 or later.

In October 2017, international press outlets,[12][13] and primarily the LGBT media, alleged the singer had died as a result of torture at the hands of the Chechen police as part of the anti-gay purges in Chechnya.[1][2][3]

Selected videography
  • "Не хватает тебя" (Miss You) (with Elbika Jamaldinova) (November 2013)
  • "Нана" (Nana) (March 2016)
  • "Без тебя" (Without You) (with Elbika Jamaldinova) (February 2016)

See also

References
  1. Will Kohler (21 October 2017). "Russian Pop Star Zelimkhan Bakaev, Tortured and Killed In Chechnya Anti-Gay Roundup". Back2Stonewall. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  2. Lewis Corner (23 October 2017). "Russian pop star reportedly tortured to death as part of Chechnya's anti-gay purge". Gay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  3. Joshua Haigh (23 October 2017). "Missing pop singer reportedly tortured to death in Chechnya's anti-gay purge - A source claims Zelimkhan Bakaev has been murdered by authorities". Attitude. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  4. Sergey Kazov-Kassia (16 August 2017). "В Грозном пропал 25-летний певец Зелимхан Бакаев" (in Russian). Radio Svoboda. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  5. Timour Olensky (28 September 2017). "Странное исчезновение и видео со следами постановки. Почему никто не верит в "спасение" певца из Чечни" (in Russian). Current Time. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  6. "НОВАЯ ФАБРИКА ЗВЕЗД - Анкета Зелим Бакаев". muz-tv.ru. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  7. "Famous singer Zelimkhan Bakaev goes missing after being detained in Chechnya". CrimeRussia.com. 17 August 2017. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  8. Will Stroude (17 October 2017). "Chechnya gay purge victim gies public with horrifying details of alleged abuse". Attitude. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  9. "Власти Чечни назвали "глупостью" сообщения СМИ о похищении певца Бакаева". rbc.ru. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  10. "State Department Urged to Take Action in Russian, Chechen Rights Abuses". Human Rights First. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  11. O'Toole, Sean (21 October 2017). "New Reports of Gay Singer Abducted and Murdered in Chechnya". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  12. Sean O’Toole (21 October 2017). "New Reports of Gay Singer Abducted and Murdered in Chechnya". Huffington Post. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  13. "Persécutions contre les homosexuels en Tchétchénie : le chanteur Zelimkhan Bakaev assassiné par la police ?" (in French). LCI. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
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