Amnesty International and Ingush NGOs demand to stop pressure on “MASHR”

International human rights organization Amnesty International expressed its concern about intimidation of members of human rights organization “MASHR” by the authorities of Ingushetia. Coordination Council of non-governmental organizations of Ingushetia also put forward a demand to stop persecution of the organization and its Head Magomed Multsogov.

“Amnesty International is concerned about new reports that the authorities of North-Caucasian Republic of Ingushetia are intimidating members of non-governmental human rights organization “MASHR” and strengthening pressure on them. We earnestly ask the Russian authorities to undertake an immediate thorough and impartial inquiry on all the facts of threats to the human rights activists and assaults at them”, a statement of this international human rights organization runs.

On February, 29, resident of the town of Karabulak Murad Yandiev, member of human rights organization “MASHR”, disappeared in Ingushetia. Leader of “MASHR” Magomed Multsogov published an appeal of the missing man’s father concerning his son’s disappearance to Public prosecutor of Karabulak and Head of Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Russia in Karabulak in his blog on the “Caucasian Knot”. On March, 1, it emerged that Murad Yandiev was kept in Chief Directorate of Interior Affairs of Nazran together with three more residents of the republic. Extremist printed matter was found with the detainees during search.

The circumstances of Murad Yandiev’s detention were explained in detail by his wife Tamara Maltsagova. In her appeal to Head of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Public prosecutor of the republic Pavel Belyakov she reports that administrative action was unlawfully taken against her husband with a further six-days term arrest.

“On 29.02.2012, Murad did not come home for the night for the first time. At about 5 o’clock in the morning I called to Magomed Multsogov and said that I worried because Murad did not come home for the night and was unavailable on the phone. It turned out that my husband was detained together with three more residents of Ingushetia and they were accused of allegedly distributing extremist printed matter. They were beaten during the whole night they spent in Nazran Chief Directorate of Interior Affairs”, Tamara Maltsagova wrote in her statement published on March, 8, posted in the blog of the leader of “MASHR” on the “Caucasian Knot”.

When Murad Yandiev was kept in custody his attorney was not allowed to see him, the prison administration refused to pass foodstuff to him, Tamara Maltsagova states.

In her statement Tamara Maltsagova asked Head of the republic and Public prosecutor to “take immediate measures in order to stop unlawful persecution of member of human rights organization “MASHR” Murad Yandiev”.

“Somebody very much dislikes that the organization draws public attention to arbitrary rule and illicit activities of those who should observe the law more scrupulously and precisely than anyone else”, Magomed Multsogov writes in his open message in his blog on the “Caucasian Knot”.

Multsogov stated that the organization and some of its members had been experiencing the strongest pressure lately.

”It is manifested in undivided attention of power-wielding structures towards us, numerous and unlawful inspections and persecution. The personnel of law enforcement bodies who visit our organization inquire about the system of video observation of our organization, availability of a register and the way of saving records from video surveillance cameras”, the leader of “MASHR” states.

The authorities of the republic of Ingushetia deny the facts of pressure on human rights organization “MASHR”. In particular, at a meeting with local bloggers on March, 2, Head of the republic Yunus-Bek Yevkurov rejected the statement that the actions against “MASHR” are undertaken on his direct instruction.