In Dagestan, militants' adaptation commission rejects repeated local's petition

Today, the Dagestani leader Magomedsalam Magomedov and a State Duma Deputy Rizvan Kurbanov have held a sitting of the commission for adaptation of militants to peaceful life. Three petitions were satisfied, while the repeated petition of Mirzamagomedov was denied.

The commission has considered applications of four residents of the republic. Dalgat Isaev, a resident of the village of Balakhani, Untsukul District, is accused of a crime under Article 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (robbery with violence). According to investigators, February 26, 2010, Isaev, being a member of an organized grouping, attacked a post-carrying car near the village of Gotsatl and seized the money, amounting to more than 3 million roubles.

On April 2, 2012, two suspected members of the grouping were detained; and Isaev was put on the wanted list. According to the Counterterrorist Centre of the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Dalgat Isaev is an active member of the "Balakhani" subversive and terrorist grouping.

On April 4, Isaev submitted - via his acquaintances - his application to the adaptation commission, in which he spoke about his repentance and asked for help in returning to peaceful life. On April 13, he personally came to the commission, confirmed his application and on the same day surrendered to the police. Isaev asked to apply leniency in his case, given his confession and repentance. His petition was satisfied.

The petition of Saiganat Isaeva, a native of the village of Krasnaya Polyana, Kizlyar District, was considered earlier - on February 21.

According to the investigation, Ms Isaeva, while being a common-law wife of an IAF (illegal armed formation) member Rustam Gasanov, joined her husband in the formation. As she herself said to the commission, after Sharia marriage, her husband forced her with him "to the forest," and she was afraid to disobey him.

Isaeva had been sentenced to three years of imprisonment; and after a petition of the adaptation commission, by a cassation ruling of March 26 her term was reduced to two years. In her repeated petition the woman asked to leave her for serving her sentence in the territory of Dagestan. The petition was satisfied.

Given her repentance and an appeal to the youth to return to peaceful life, which was disseminated by the local television, the Interior Minister of Dagestan Abdurashid Magomedov also offered to petition in favour of Isaeva's conditional early relief (CER).

The commission has also satisfied the petition submitted by Gadji Isadibirov, who, according to investigators, provided housing to IAF members and transported them in his car. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 24 he was blocked in an apartment and surrendered after negotiations under the personal guarantees of the head of Dagestan.

The adaptation commission was repeatedly addressed by Nariman Mirzamagomedov, whose initial petition was rejected on February 21, because he refused to cooperate with the investigation. Mirzamagomedov was accused of shelling the GOVD (City Interior Division) building in the city of Dagestanskie Ogni and the building of the FSB in the city of Derbent, and of an armed resistance during a special operation in Makhachkala on October 14, 2011.

He asked the commission "for leniency and serving his term in Dagestan." However, Alexei Savrulin, the head of the Investigatory Committee of Dagestan, and some officials from law enforcement bodies spoke against satisfying the petition. According to their version, the investigation is not over yet; the court has not delivered its verdict; therefore, there is no sense to talk on leniency today. The commission will return to Mirzamagomedov's petition after the verdict.

As noted by Magomedsalam Magomedov, during the 18 months of its existence, the commission met 15 times. In total, 37 cases were considered; 32 petitions were satisfied. In the near future, the adaptation commission will launch its website. According to the head of Dagestan, there are problems in the work of the commission relating to interaction with law enforcement bodies.

Rizvan Kurbanov said that some agencies, especially the Investigatory Committee of Dagestan, ignore the requests of the commission.

"When I asked what the employees of the MIA of Dagestan were doing to bring IAF members out of the forest, Vasily Salyutin, First Deputy Minister of Interior, replied that 'it's not your business.' I reminded him of the words of Russian President Medvedev, who said that 'it's much better to hold a religious dialogue, or even a dispute, while sitting at a table, rather than do it with the help of submachine guns," Mr Kurbanov said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".

In his turn, Alexei Savrulin, the head of the Investigatory Committee of Dagestan, believes that such requests "are sent not in due time." In his opinion, the adaptation commission should consider only those who have voluntarily surrendered, not captured during special operations.

The head of Dagestan has treated this position as wrong, stressing that they should use any chance to save human life and help people to return to peaceful life.