Police detain believers in Makhachkala mosques, eyewitnesses report

Last night, law enforcers of the capital of Dagestan conducted mass detentions of mosque-goers in Hungarian Fighters Street, according to eyewitnesses. Several worshipers from the mosque in Kotrov Street were also taken to the police.

"We were contacted by eyewitnesses of the events – they said that believers were detained, without any particular logic, when leaving the mosque. All the detainees were taken to the Sovietskiy ROVD (District Interior Division) of Makhachkala," Aisha Selimkhanova, an activist of the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Last night over 10 people were detained, as one of the worshipers near the mosque, located in Hungarian Fighters Street, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, adding: "During the last two days such raids are carried out not only in our mosque; we have information about detentions of believers in the mosques located in Kotrov Street and Separatorny settlement. It's most outraging that these raids are conducted in the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan."

The Sovietskiy ROVD of Makhachkala has confirmed the delivery of detained parishioners, without specifying the exact number of detainees and the reason for detention.