Magdi-Magomed Kamalov: inquiry into murder of "Chernovik" founder is blocked by power structures of Dagestan

As long as the murder case of Khadjimurad Kamalov, the founder of the Dagestani public and political weekly "Chernovik, is accompanied by the operative service of the MIA of Dagestan, all the requests of the public will be blocked at the level of the republic's power structures. This was stated by the casualty's brother Magdi-Magomed Kamalov at the press conference held at the "Interfax" Press Centre on November 30. The founder of the "Chernovik" Khadjimurad Kamalov was killed on December 15, 2011, in Makhachkala, when the gunmen made 14 shots at him. Investigators associate the murder with Kamalov's professional activities. His colleagues assert that the inquiry is boycotted.

The brother said that operative agents of the MIA of Dagestan withdrew the video records from surveillance cameras only one week after the murder, "while gathering of all the videos was performed by journalists of the edition". "The ballistic examination was appointed without putting particular questions to the investigation. When asked whether these bullets could be shot from different arms types, the experts answered that this question was not asked by the investigator," said Magdi-Magomed Kamalov without specifying the names of experts and the investigator.

As stated by Ali Kamalov, Chair of the Union of Journalists of Dagestan, "the journalist-hunting began in Dagestan in 2005." "Journalists in Dagestan are the frontline, the place, where human rights are defended and where the civil society is being built," he has noted.

According to his story, Khadjimurad Kamalov was shot dead "in one of the best guarded streets of Makhachkala", close to the house of government, where the corteges of the republic's and city authorities are driving all the time.

According to Ali Kamalov, at a private meeting one of the police generals told him: "Ali Akhmedovich, you know who the killer was – so, act."

Colleagues and relatives of Khadjimurad Kamalov assert that according to sources from power structures, operative agents of the MIA of Dagestan have already detected the performers of the murder (by telephone billing), but have not detained them yet.