Dagestanis complain of militiamen's persecution

Shamil Magomedov, a resident of Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk, Dagestan, complains of being persecuted and beaten by militiamen. He asks for help in his applications addressed to Vice-Premier of Dagestan Rizvan Kurbanov, Ombudsperson Umupazil Omarova, Public Prosecutor of Dagestan Andrei Nazarov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Dagestan Abdurashid Magomedov and public movement named "Pravozaschita" (Rights Defence).

"On December 10, 2010, armed persons in civilian clothes broke into my house. They said that they came to make a search. When they were presenting the warrant on my request, I saw quite a different address there, but instead of apologies, they asked me to go to the GOVD (Chief Interior Division), because my beard seemed suspicious to them," Mr Magomedov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He said that on the same day he was taken to Tarumovka village and beaten there. "All the militiamen were beating me; in the evening my relatives came and took me away from the militia," he added.

He believes that later the militiamen of the Tarumovka ROVD (District Interior Division) planted TNT blocks into his household.

"On January 20, 2011, I was summoned by Magomed Magomedov, head of the Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk GOVD. There I saw militiamen from Tarumovka waiting for me. Without any explanations they took away my mobile phone and said that they were going to search my house again. Upon arrival to my house they invited two neighbours as witnesses. They searched one room superficially and rushed into my yard, which has free entry from the street. Without witnesses one of the militiamen went into an open pantry, where there's no illumination, and immediately went out with some pack in hands. He took out some pieces from the pack bearing some inscriptions. Later I was explained that these were TNT blocks. Only then the militiaman invited the witnesses," Shamil Magomedov said.

After that, he was taken to the GOVD again, where he was asked to write an explanation about the origin of the TNT blocks; he was kept there for 24 hours, and in the morning they took him to the magistrate judge. "Militiamen made a report that I had orally abused them; and the judge fined me by 500 roubles," he continued.

Shamil asserts that on January 22 he was again invited to the GOVD. "Militiamen said that to close the case I should confess that the TNT blocks belonged to me: I had allegedly bought them with the aim to stun fish, although I've never been a fisherman, and Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk has no places for fishing. I refused to do it," he explained.

He believes that his observance of the rules of Islam is a probable origin of persecution. "I'm under impression that everything is done to send me to the forest, like many others, leaving my wife and two small children to the mercy of fate. I don't want to run away anywhere; I want to live and work in the city, where I was born and grew up. Therefore, I asked the authorities to protect my constitutional rights, since wearing a beard and observance of the rules of Islam are not prohibited throughout the world," Shamil Magomedov said.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the press service of the Dagestani MIA that they had no information about the incident; boss of the Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk GOVD Magomed Magomedov refused from any comment on the telephone, saying that conversation is possible only in person.