Press conference "Tension in Ingushetia as result of authorities' blunders" postponed to February 21

In the context of hospitalization of Magomed Khazbiev, the Ingush opposition leader and a member of the Expert Board under the Russian Ombudsman, the press conference "Tension in Ingushetia as result of authorities' blunders" that was to be held in Moscow on February 16, was postponed till February 21.

The leader of the Ingush opposition Magomed Khazbiev was hospitalized February 12 with internal bleeding.

Mr Khazbiev himself told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on February 11 he had a meeting with journalists in a Moscow café. Then, he felt bad, and in the morning on February 12 he began to lose consciousness, and an ambulance brought him to the city clinical hospital No. 31.

"We were sitting in the café, and I immediately noticed that two suspicious men were sitting not far from us. One of them, a big and bald one, was sitting farther, while the other one was closer. We've got accustomed to shadowing, almost all the time in Moscow, and in cafés, all the time someone is 'accompanying' us and listens to our conversations with colleagues and journalists. I ordered the salad named 'Caesar'. I ate a little from my plate. Those two left the café and went away in one car, just as soon as we paid off and were ready to go. It was at about five o'clock in the afternoon," said Khazbiev.

He said that he felt unwell in the evening. "I wanted to go out of the room and could not - I fainted," he continued. "An ambulance arrived, took my blood assay and left. I was told that my blood tension was low. However, in the morning I felt still worse, and the second ambulance took me to hospital No. 31. There, they diagnosed internal bleeding and made a gastric lavage."

A source at the hospital has confirmed to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Khazbiev was hospitalized in grave condition; and it continued causing doctors' concern.

In Mr Khazbiev's version, his condition is better. "At the moment I'm still in hospital, but I feel almost OK. I think by this Monday (February 21) I'll feel well and be able to come to the press conference," he said.

The oppositionist has noted that he had not contacted the militia yet. "Doctors do not exclude that it could be food poisoning. But I've told them here more than once to make a special analysis of my blood that could confirm this, but so far they didn't do it. I did it in another place; now I wait for results," said the Ingush opposition leader.