Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for the execution of family members of suspected criminals who cannot be found.

During a Dec. 30 meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, Kadyrov told security commanders that relatives are acceptable recipients of punishment for criminal suspects who are not apprehended.

“If someone infringes on public safety, an officer or a tourist, and if we don’t even find the offender, we won’t keep looking for them, but we will definitely find their relatives,” said Kadyrov, according to translations from Newsweek.