Women from Kabardino-Balkaria ask Kanokov not to admit convoying their convicted husbands to other regions

Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria Alyona Shaova, Elena Gazzaeva and Angela Sunsheva have addressed their letter to President of the republic Arsen Kanokov, Public Prosecutor of Kabardino-Balkaria Oleg Zharikov, Ombudsman Boris Zumakulov and head of the Public Human Rights Centre Valery Khatazhukov, asking to prevent convoying their husbands from the corrective establishment in Kamenka village outside Kabardino-Balkaria.

The authors of the letter assert that the administration of the corrective establishment had no claims and applied no reprimands or warnings to the convicts.

"On September 23, 2010, we learned that our husbands had been taken away from Kamenka and are planned for convoying, possibly, to the Komi Republic, cities of Pskov or Orenburg. The administration of the corrective establishment refused to give us any explanations to this end," runs the letter.

The authors of the letter fear for life and safety of their husbands, as, according to their version, "they are Moslems and were convicted for participation in IAFs (illegal armed formations)." "According to the data, received by us from different sources, it is done deliberately, in order to execute them, because in such remote locations it will be very difficult to control what will happen to them," notes the letter.

Making his comments on the situation, Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Public Human Rights Centre of Kabardino-Balkaria, has noted that the women's anxiety and worry about the fate of their convicted husbands are quite reasonable.

"We periodically receive information about mockeries at Moslems in Russian prisons. It would be better if they serve their terms here," he noted.

According to his version, if "their fears come true, it will just contribute to tension escalation."