Human rights activists from “Memorial” Human Rights Center presented their books at Non/fiction book market in Moscow

Human rights activists from HRC “Memorial” presented their books to the readers at XIV International Non/fiction book market in Moscow. The visitors were able to receive for free “Magomedov’s “New Policy”?” by Oleg Orlov, Head of the program “Hot points”, and Ekaterina Sokirianskaya, Director of the project of International crisis group for Southern Caucasus, as well as a book about people missing since the Second Chechen war “Fate Unknown” by Chairman of the Council of the organization Alexander Cherkasov.

“Memorial’s” stand was in the second floor of the exhibition where generally foreign editions were exhibited.

“Several boxes were brought but that was still not enough”, Orlov said to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent about public reaction to “Magomedov’s “New Policy”?”.

Orlov and Sokirianskaya’s book consists of 200 pages and is divided into eight units. The first two of them tell the reader about Magomedsalam Magomedov’s appointment Head of Dagestan and the new leader’s recognition by local elites. Then the authors speak about the situation in Dagestan: they describe operative situation in the region in detail, acts of terror, torturing detainees by members of the top brass, extrajudicial executions, beating up lawyers and human rights activists by the police. At the end of the book Orlov and Sokirianskaya offer the readers among whom the authors hope to be high-ranking officials and members of power ministries a way out of the current situation in the region.

“A new team came to Dagestan with Magomedsalam Magomedev, and that was in a very hard period when civil discontent was on the rise. Unlike the past team, the present one declared a new approach to the solution of the conflict: problems were not hushed up, including the state’s repressive policy and violations of human rights. The new authorities decided to reform the life in the community and establish a dialogue with the people who are called Wahhabis. The reforms encountered resistance from the authoritative part of the community”, Orlov said to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.