Residents of Khrakh-Uba demand removal of Dagestani Minister Bekmurzaev from enclave resettlement

Today, Makhachkala hosted a rally of residents of the village of Khrakh-Uba, located in the territory of Azerbaijan. The participants of the action told about threats of deportation from Azerbaijan and harassment of enclave villagers. The protest rally was about 60 persons strong. The action was sanctioned by the administration of Makhachkala.

The protesters complained that the federal government and the Dagestani leadership fail to take steps to solve the status of rural residents. According to their story, Azerbaijani authorities prevent trips of Khrakh-Uba residents to Russia and demand them to renounce Russian citizenship.

"There's no improvement in the situation; a real deportation of villagers is on. Even director of a local school Eshraf Medjidov is among them," said Nagmet Nagmetov, one of the protesters.

Other speakers told about threats of deportation and enforcement into Azerbaijani citizenship; villagers get under pressure and are arrested.

The protesters have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions of the Minister of National Policy of Dagestan Bekmurza Bekmurzaev, who, according to their story, at all events and meetings kept encouraging residents of Khrakh-Uba to renounce Russian citizenship and take the Azerbaijani one. In this regard, the resolution passed by the protesters calls on the authorities of the republic and the country to remove Minister Bekmurzaev from the issues related to resettlement of the enclave Khrakh-Uba, since "all the Minister's decision had been initially based on the pro-Azerbaijani position."

The state power was represented at the rally by Eduard Khidirov, head of the faction of "Patriots of Russia" in the People's Assembly of Dagestan. He said that the authorities of the republic are aware of the problem; under the order of the head of Dagestan, a special commission was set up.

He said that in order to resettle the villages to Dagestan, it is necessary to adopt a federal target programme; and the Russian State Duma deputies from Dagestan are working on the issue.