Dagestan: resident of Tsuntin District complains of threats from villagers and policemen

Magomed Gamidov, a resident of the village Zekhida of Tsuntin District of Dagestan, appealed to the human rights activists with the complaint on the villagers and the policemen. According to him, the former villagers forced him to leave the village, and at his new place of residence he is being persecuted by police.

According to Magomed Gamidov, on June 30, he with his family went to live to his daughter to the village Kasyakino of Kizlyar District, since, as he appeared to know, on April 24 at a meeting of Kidero Village Soviet one of the villagers openly called to expel Gamidov's family from the village and burn their home to the ground.

On April 15, as Magomed Gamidov learned, in the village Zekhida the meeting of residents was held after Friday namaz (prayer), and some villagers suggested that the Gamidov's family had no right to live in the village and their house should be burned. The "Caucasian Knot" office was reported about that by the statement of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", where Magomed Gamidov appealed to.

Villagers' wrath is, probably, associated with the fact that Magomed Gamidov professes Salafi trend in Islam, although the complainant did not directly point at his affiliation or the reason for his persecution by the villagers, stresses the HRC "Memorial".

Magomed Gamidov complained that in the village Zekhida teenagers constantly threw stones to the windows and roof of his house, and on April 23 in the night his house had been set on fire by unidentified persons. Magomed Gamidov with his wife applied with the declaration of arson to the police of the village Kidero and to Rashid Sharaputdinov, the head of the administration; however, according to the complainant, no reaction followed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has no comments from the representatives of the law enforcement authorities of Dagestan and Tsuntin District yet.