In Dagestan, special forces use electric shockers to disperse rally, eyewitnesses assert

In the dispersal of participants in the anti-corruption rally in Dagestan, people were "forced" from the crowd, and "dragged by hands and feet to police UAZ vans," some of the detainees were subjected to electric shockers. This was reported by eyewitnesses.

"I personally saw how a guy carrying folded banners in his hands, was chased by men in masks, attempting to wrest them from him," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Shamil Khadulaev, one of the organizers of the rally, the head of the executive committee of the Dagestan branch of the organization "Russian Union of Veterans of Afghanistan".

"Protesters made no provocations"

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today at 11:00 a.m. nationwide anti-corruption rally, attended by more than 500 people, was held near the building of the City Mayoralty of the city of Makhachkala. At the end of the event, the protesters were dispersed by law enforcement agents. Several protesters were detained.

According to Shamil Khadulaev, the rally itself "was conducted in proper way." "From the very beginning, I warned all participants that this is a rally against corruption and corrupted officials and in no case against the Republic's President or to overthrow the current government," he added.

According to him, all participants of the rally were warned that in case of any provocation "veterans of Afghanistan" would detain them and bring them to law enforcement officers. According to Shamil Khadulaev, "the speeches of the speakers contained the critic and no provocations."

"When I started reading the resolution, the police officers became more active: they cordoned off the perimeter of Lenin Square and began to demand that the protestors should leave the place," said Shamil Khadulaev and added that he asked the protesters not to provoke the police officers and follow their demands.

"People began carefully to leave the square in a column. At the moment, the police officers began to seize the people, and a scuffle started," Shamil Khadulaev states.

According to its organizers, the anti-corruption rally was covered by both local and foreign media, including representatives of the French newspaper "Liberation" and the US newspaper "The Associated Press".

Detainees remain in lock-up ward

Leaders of the public organizations who were detained during today's anti-corruption protest rally are still in the lock-up ward of Soviet District Police Station of the city of Makhachkala.

Ruslan Rasulov, Deputy Chairman of the voluntary republic's organization "Union for Protection of Rights and Freedoms of Nations, Human and Civil Rights", Vice-Chairman of the Union of NGOs "Otechestvo" (Fatherland) is among the detainees. According to him, together with him, a ward measuring one and a half to two meters contains ten more participants of the rally. Muhammad Shamil, Chairman of the independent trade union of law enforcement officers, was brought to the next ward.

According to Ruslan Rasulov, in total, 28 detained protesters are kept in the Soviet ROVD (District Interior Division). According to him, another 10 people were brought to police stations of other district of Makhachkala. People are kept in horrible conditions; they have no food or water, Ruslan Rasulov has noted.

However, according to Magomed Magomedov, one of the detainees, the police officers from the ROVD treat the participants of the rally politely.

"We are now in the ROVD of the Soviet District of Makhachkala. They treat us politely; however, we had problems with the commission of prayer, since there is no place for ablution and prayer. Now they write protocols of administrative violations, then we are likely to be released," said Magomed Magomedov.

OVD: arrests were made in accordance with law

The standby unit of the OVD (Interior Division) of Soviet District stated that arrests were made in accordance with the law, since the rally in Lenin Square in Makhachkala was not sanctioned. The OVD also confirmed that the detainees would be released after completing protocols of administrative violations.