In Dagestan, Prosecutor's Office and ICRF launch investigation into situation in Khadjalmakhi

The Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan has instructed to check the facts stated in an open letter of Moscow human rights defenders on the situation in the village of Khadjalmakhi of the Levashin District of Dagestan. Similar instructions were issued by the Chief of the Investigating Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Dagestan. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Tatiana Golubova, the head of the press service of the Dagestani Prosecutor's Office.

Let us remind you that on August 26, the authors of the open letter, referring to the statements of the villagers, reported on arsons, riots and mob punishment facts committed by people militia against villagers mentioned in the so-called "destruction list". According to the information of the human rights defenders, those crimes are not investigated by law enforcement bodies.

According to the story of a villager, who preferred to remain anonymous, since March, in the village of Khadjalmakhi, eight persons were killed, and at least 15 families had to leave the village of Khadjalmakhi because of threats in their address.

"It all started with a financial pyramid scheme. Its organizers have robbed the whole Dagestan: according to various estimates, up to 500 million roubles were gone. And when people began to demand their deposits back from dealers, the dealers figured out how to protect themselves from depositors. They found 'guilty' persons the so-called Salafis," the source has said.

According to his version, the murders of the district police inspector and the imam of the village that allegedly caused creation of people militia could also be committed by the organizers of the financial pyramid scheme.

Officials of the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) deny the relations between the organizers of the financial pyramid scheme and members of the people militia. Ruslan Ibragimgadjiev, the head of the MIA's press service, has stated that rumours of the atrocities committed by people militia in the village are spread by accomplices of Salafi militants, who had hoped to control the village.