Experts: Kurbanov's detention is result of his conflict with Dagestani leader

Kurban Kurbanov, the head of the Derbent District, was detained on October 1 for 48 hours, and is now kept in the temporary detention facility (known as IVS), the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed at the district administration. The experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe that in this case law enforcers have acted in concert with the head of the republic Ramazan Abdulatipov and the Russian federal government.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Kurban Kurbanov is accused of making unlawful decisions on allocating land plots, being in republic's ownership, for private farming.

The detention of the head of the Derbent District may be an attempt to put pressure on him, says the lawyer Rinat Gamidov.

"In general, a detention and subsequent placement behind bars are among favourite methods of our law enforcement bodies, especially when it comes to recalcitrant figurants of criminal cases," said Gamidov.

Kurbanov's detention is a logical extension of the confrontation that has emerged between Abdulatipov and the head of the Derbent District, said Magomed Magomedov, a columnist of the Dagestani weekly "Chernovik".

"They asked him to resign; then, they checked him and threatened – but he wouldn't agree. Therefore, they initiated a criminal case and detained him," Magomed Magomedov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In the opinion of Magomed Bisavaliev, the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Dagestan", Ramazan Abdulatipov received "a permit" to detain Kurbanov from the federal centre.

"I suppose that he won't be released. The Derbent District is a very complex one; and Abdulatipov is a duly balanced politician – it is unlikely that he would do this without consent from Moscow," Magomed Bisavaliev has noted.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.