Detained Kara-Tyube residents, Dagestan, released after rights activists interfered

The residents of Kara-Tyube village, Babayurt District of Dagestan, detained on April 15, were set free on April 18 only after active interference of human rights activists and media. All this time 16 persons were in the open air, since the ROVD (District Interior Division), where they were brought, has no enough room for keeping that number.

Let us remind you that on April 18 Khanmagomed Magomedov, a resident of Kara-Tyube village informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the ROVD of the Babayurt District illegally keeps 17 persons for several days already, including two women detained during searches. The source could not give the reason of this mass detention and said only that all of them had been registered by the ROVD since autumn 2009 as Salafites; "they were shown a photo of some liquidated militant and asked if someone had known him, but nobody could recognize him.

Then, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they had no information about detention of Kara-Tyube residents, while the Babayurt ROVD refrained from comments. On that very day, the detainees were released.

The details of the incident became known from the statement of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", which arrived to the office of the "Caucasian Knot".

The human rights activists emphasized that the ROVD had no facilities for keeping so many detainees, but the people were not released, even the pregnant woman. On the second day, on their request, women were let into the pre-trial cell; while men spent all their time outdoors. They were allowed to sleep in turn in a small cell with one bed.

The detainees were kept at the ROVD till April 18. In this context, an employee of the HRC "Memorial" addressed the Ombudsperson in Dagestan U. A. Omarova. She promised to take measures on Monday, April 19, having preliminary found out the details from the local Minister of Internal Affairs. "Hope they won't die till Monday," she said.

Then, Svetlana Gannushkina, head of the Committee "Civil Assistance" and a member of the board of the HRC "Memorial", addressed Rizvan Kurbanov, Vice-Premier of the Government of Dagestan. In his turn, he reported the situation to the President of Dagestan. Also, Nadira Isaeva, editor-in-chief of the "Chernovik" newspaper, and Zarema Gasanova, a journalist of the VGTRK (State TV and Radio Company) "Dagestan", addressed the power bosses of the republic. Only after active interference of human rights activists and mass media the detained Kara-Tyube residents were released.

The HRC "Memorial" reminds that according to the current legislation (Article 27.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences), a citizen may be detained and brought to a police station only in case it is impossible to draw up a protocol in situ. The Kara-Tyube residents were detained when the special operation was over. In this case, citizens could have been detained for three hours at most; then, the materials of the case should have been sent to the court; however, nothing was done.

Besides, people were kept without any proper conditions at the Babayurt ROVD for three and a half days; their protests were responded by the fact that the judge was drunk, and they could not be let free without a court statement.

On April 19, the Babayurt ROVD presented the administrative offence materials to the court. However, by a definition of the court they were returned to the head of the ROVD, as they were presented without the persons attracted to the administrative responsibility.

The court session took place on April 21-22 in the building of the magistrate court of Babayurt village. Employees of the Babayurt ROVD brought 16 detainees there. On all the cases the judge ruled to stop the administrative proceedings for absence of any offence elements.