Press releases:

- Dagestan: Illegally Detained Spent Three Days Out-of-Doors

On April 14, 2010 around 7 pm Patimat Nurudinova, Bariyat Abdullayeva and Aminat Magomedova (live in one house in the village of Kara-Tyube of Babayurt district of Dagestan) went to see a sister Mummanat Nurudinova and her husband Zagir Nurudinov living in the neighborhood. At the same time Patimat’s son, 20-year-old Ilyas Abdullayev also left the house to see his friends. Around 11 pm the women returned home. They stayed to spend night at the women’s half of the house because Aminat Magomedova (Ilyas’ wife) felt sick. Knowing that Ilyas was going fishing with his friends early in the morning they decided not bother him.

At 4:30 am Aminat went to the courtyard and saw sylovicks there. One of them aimed an automatic gun at her and asked who was at the house. Aminat answered that there were only their relations, no strangers. Then Bariyat, Ilyas’ sister, left the house, the militants detained her as well. Patimat was milking a cow in the shed. Leaving the shed, she met the militants. Patimat said that there was no one in the house and Ilyas was fishing. All the women were taken in car to the police department. Later, in the court the witness Zagir Atayev which was brought by the policemen said that when the women had been taken into the car they had insulted the sylovicks and shouted: “Not enough of you are being killed!” But the neighbors (many of them gathered around) say that frightened women with the automatic gun aimed at them got into the car silently.

As the car left the yard the active phase of the special operation started. Witnesses say that the house was surrounded by many militants, around five armored personnel carriers; several vehicles “Ural”, two helicopters were flying in the sky. The militants started shooting at the house; local residents did not hear the reply from the house. Around 6-7 am the shooting stopped. Accordind to some sources two men were killed in the house, others say that only one man was killed. The policemen did not success in identifying the killed. That’s why they started questioning the local residents –to identify the killed.

At around 7 am militants started searching houses and detaining people. 18 people were taken to the Babayurt ROVD. There was Pakhrudin Abdullayev (Iluyas’ brother) among them who is suspected of carrying out a terrorist act in the town of Kizlyar on March 31, 2010. Also there was a young man among the detained who came from Kizlyar to visit his relatives. Some women were also detained: one of them was pregnant, another – a nursing mother of a 9-month-child. Militants, local district police officer, local ex-district police officer, officers of Babayurt ROVD took part in the arrests. When the people were being taken to the police department they were shown the photos of boyevicks and demanded to identify anybody. The detained were not officially charged with any crime.

Magomed Magomedov and Said Akhmedov, DOB 1989, were taken to the border with the Chechen Republic. They were said that their cell phones had been tapped and it had been ascertained that they had been carrying detonators on a taxi “Gazel’”. Magomed Magomedov is a deputy of a village assembly. Maybe because of that four hours later Magomedov and Akhmedov were taken back to the Babyurt ROVD.

There are no conditions for the detention of so much people inROVD. But people even a pregnant woman were not released. First day they were held at the territory of the police department out-of-doors. The second day after many requests of the detained women were allowed to go to a preventive-detention cell. Men were held out-of-doors all the time. They were only allowed to sleep in a small cell with a bed in turn.

The detained were held in ROVD till April, 18. Regarding this HRC "Memorial" member applied to the Dagestan ombudsman U. Omarova. She answered that she would take measures on Monday, April 19, having clarified before the circumstances of the case from the minister of MVD. “They won’t die till Monday, will they”? - Omarova said.

After that the head of the Civic Assistance committee, member of the Board of HRC Memorial Svetlana Gannushkina applied to a vice-premier of the Dagestan government Rizvan Kurbanov. He, in turn, reported about the situation to the Dagestan president. Chief Editor of the "Chernovik" newspaper Nadira Isayeva and a journalist of the broadcasting company "Dagestan" Zarema Gasanova also applied to the leadership of law enforcement authorities. Only after active interference of human rights activists and members of mass media the detained were released.

According to the law currently in force (article 27.5 of the Code of Administrative offence) authorities can detain a citizen and take him to a police department only if there is no possibility to draw up a report at the place of the event. Residents of the village of Kara-Tyube were detained when the special operation had already been finished. In this case authorities could only detain them for three hours at most and then submit the materials of the case to the court. However, all of these rules were violated. People were held in the Babyurt ROVD without appropriate conditions for three and a half days. In responce to the protest of the detained they were said that the judge was drunk and it was not possible to let them go without a court resolution.

On April 19, 2010 the Babyurt ROVD submitted the materials of an administrative offence to the court. They were returned to the head of the ROVD because people called to account had not been taken to the court together with the documents.

On April 21-22 the court session took place at the magistrate’s court of the village of Babyurt. Officers brought 16 detained to the ROVD. The judge ruled that there was no corpus delicti in the materials of the case and dismissed a case of an administrative offence.

- Ingusheia: a Son of a Former Opposition Journalist Killed, Relatives - Detained

On May 6, 2010, after 7 am in the district of new buildings in the village of Kantyshevo (Nazran district of Ingushetia) during the special operation carried out by officers of federal power structures local resident Zelimkhan Oziev from the Gazikov street was killed.

Sylovics on heavies and some tens of other vehicles blocked Ozievs’ house.

Some minutes before that sylovics, among those there were women, entered the house of Lyuiza Kodzoeva living in the neighbouring street. Militants with a dog examined a house. They behaved rudely, insulted the owner of the house, swore. Nobody lives in the house except Lyuiza and her five minor children. However, not long ago officers of unidentified power structures had already searched the house (see Memorial’s message in Russian: www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/msg/2010/04/m203148.htm).

This time sylovics left the house immediately after the search.

When Ozievs’ house was blocked, everybody being there was told with a loudspeaker to open doors and windows and then leave the house. There were the owner of the house, her children Zelimkhan, supposed DOB 1981, Timur, DOB 1978, Aina, DOB 1980, pregnant Zelimkhan’s wife, Timur’s wife and a four-year-old Aina’s son in the house.

Eveyone left the house. Zelimkhan being afraid started running. The militants shot at him and killed him. The rest were taken to the courtyard. Sylovics shooted at the house several times supposedly by a grenade launcher. They checked Ozievs’ documents, asked if there was anybody else in the house. Then they took Aina and Timur in the direction of the town of Magas, supposedly - to the FSB department. Relatives were not told where Aina and Timur would be taken and why they were detained.

Earlier the head of the Ozievs family Murat Oziev was a famous Ingush opposition journalist, editor of a newspaper "Angusht". He always had problems with the authorities beacuse of his opposition activity during Murat Zyazikov’s governing. The copies of the newspaper were withdrawn several times. Oziev’s house was searched. Murat Oziev died in January 2009.

Law enforcement authorities did not have any claims to Ozievs. No one of the family is wanted, no one is hiding.

Aina Ozieva is the widow of Khasbulat Amerkhanov killed in 2006 during a special opeartion. Amerkhanov was suspected of participation in illegal armed groups (see Memorial’s message (in Russian) about the searches in the Amerkhanov’s house:

www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/msg/2010/04/m205862.htm).

For further information: Memorial