Lawyers want Chechen leader Kadyrov brought in for questioning about Nemtsov’s murder

Lawyers representing the children of slain politician Boris Nemtsov have asked federal investigators to question Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, and several other high-ranking state officials in Chechnya, including Ruslan Geremyev, a Chechen police official.

According to Vadim Prokhorov, one of the Nemtsov family’s attorneys, investigators have encountered unusual difficulties in Chechnya, where police have had problems locating, interrogating, and apprehending suspects involved in the murder case. Prokhorov says investigators haven’t even been able to locate one person wanted for questioning, Federation Council member Sulieman Geremeyev.

“In our request, we cite public sources, including reports in the mass media, and statements Nemtsov made about Chechen soldiers,” Prokhorov said.

According to media reports, Ruslan Geremyev is suspected of playing a role in organizing Nemtsov’s murder. He is believed to be under the protection of Chechen police, who won’t let federal investigators anywhere near him.

The primary suspect in Nemtsov’s murder, Zaur Dadayev, is Geremeyev’s former colleague from a Chechen interior ministry battalion.