"Pravozaschita" turns to prosecutor's office on forcing Buynaksk residents to give DNA assays

Zarema Bagautdinova, a representative of the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) for the Buynaksk District, has addressed the Public Prosecutor of Dagestan asking him to react to the fact of forcing 23 residents of Buynaksk to give their saliva for collecting DNA samples.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 19, 23 residents of Buynaksk, whose relatives are suspected of involvement in illegal armed formations (IAFs) or helping the armed underground, were taken to the city police department for taking their DNA samples.

"As a representative of a human rights organization, I came there at the request of residents of the city," Zarema Bagautdinova told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her story, she asked an official from the investigating division to clarify the aim of the forced collection of biological material. "In the end, I couldn't get any official documents on the legality of the action," said Zarema Bagautdinova.

On June 26, she turned to the Public Prosecutor of Dagestan with a statement asking him to investigate the situation.

The statement states that people fear that their saliva "will be later found on some unexploded devices or weapons."