Ingushetia: three brothers of oppositionist Khazbiev announced into federal search

In Ingushetia, three brothers of oppositionist Magomed Khazbiev were announced into federal search as suspects of attacking Kaloy Akhilgov, press secretary of local President.

"They just want to deprive me of my securities: my brothers accompanied me everywhere," Magomed Khazbiev said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to the oppositionist, in the present conditions he is forced to defend his life.

According to his story, his brothers Ali, Makhmud and Berd Khazbiev were forced to accompany him everywhere after the events on August 8, 2008 in South Ossetia. On the first day of the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict the Khazbievs' house was shelled from a machine gun and a grenade launcher for 15 minutes. "The fire was on the bedroom where my brothers slept," Magomed recollects. "The roof of the house was completely destroyed. That time, thanks Allah, nobody suffered."

In the first time after President Evkurov came to power in Ingushetia, the Khazbievs were, according to Magomed, in normal relations with the republic's leadership. "Then, they worsened not for our guilt. President promised that there would be no 'zachistkas' (cleanups) without coordination with heads of villages, district militiamen and local residents; that they would first coordinate, and then enter houses. But then he failed to keep his word," the oppositionist asserts.

"I went to Evkurov," Magomed continued, "and told him that it was an impossible way of action, that he was wrong; but the President proved the opposite." Since then, in the opinion of Khazbiev, problems began with him and his family.

Soon after that meeting, according to Magomed Khazbiev, rumours reached him about prepared murders of himself and Maksharip Aushev. "Some days later, everybody learnt what happened with Aushev," the oppositionist now recollects.

"I'm sure, hunting for my brothers is an attempt to influence me," Magomed believes and says that his brothers have nothing to do with the attack on Akhilgov: "Right after the incident Kaloy said that what happened was a family business and there was no need 'to inflate it.' On the following day, he said that he knew the attackers personally, and on the third day he lodged an application to the militia."

Let us remind you that on February 22 Kaloy Akhilgov was beaten by unidentified persons in the territory of one of fuelling stations in Nazran. The malefactors hijacked his Mercedes G-500.

According to Ingush traditions, Magomed, according to his story, sent two elders to Akhilgov, who offered to the suffered party to settle the dispute under traditional customs. "If we are wrong of something," said the elders, "there are Ingush customs, adats, let them send their elders, and we'll talk as it should be: in the Ingush and men's manner. Otherwise - let's stop this lawlessness." But Ahilgov's father said that everything had been "coordinated", and Kaloy would not recall his application, Magomed asserts.

"The application runs that he was beaten and robbed by my brothers; apart from them, there were two more attackers in masks. He called me to be the customer of the crime," said Khazbiev.

"My brothers are not hiding and will come to the first call of the inspector," said the suspects' brother. "What was the need to announce the federal search? Most likely, it was done to involve the federals (a temporary grouping of Russian troops deployed in the territory of the republic, - comment of the "Caucasian Knot") into their search, detention and arrest.

Inspector Rustam Sagov who runs the case of Khazbiev brothers said that he has no information on the issue.

"Khazbiev brothers were indeed announced in federal search - for an open kidnapping of one's property," Bashir Khamkhoev, head of the Investigatory Department of the MIA of the Republic of Ingushetia (RI), has confirmed. "There's no violation in it: they are not present in the republic; therefore, we announced their federal search. The whole procedure was according to the Russian legislation."

"The order of announcing a person into federal search is defined by the inspector," explains Mussa Pliev, the advocate for the Khazbievs. "If he decides that a person is in the territory of a subject of the Russian Federation, i.e., in Ingushetia, he announces local search; if the person is outside the subject - the federal search is announced."

However, the lawyer believes that in this case the federal search was announced with another aim: "It was made deliberately to provoke Magomed and his family to some inadequate actions against employees of federal bodies."

"This case has no judicial prospect," Mussa Pliev believes. "But it has a political perspective. As a matter of fact, by means of this case, I think, someone wants to discredit Magomed, having shown that he and his brothers are engaged in bad things."

According to Pliev, Khazbiev is long in the politics, not yesterday. "All his demands are simple: defence of human rights and rights of Russians," says the lawyer. "These demands should not and cannot be the occasion for the authorities of the republic to square accounts with the Khazbiev family."