16:44, 17 December 2014

MfE: the basic version of fire in rights defenders' office in Grozny is arson

The building where the office of the Joint Mobile Group of the Committee against Torture (CaT) is located, after the fire. Grozny, December 154, 2014. Photo by Akhmed Aldebirov for the "Caucasian Knot"

As reported by the spokesman of the Chechen Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), the versions of a fire from a short circuit in the office of the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) in no longer considered – the main version of the reason of the fire is arson.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 13 it became known about a fire in the Grozny office of the JMG, which consists of rights defenders from the Committee against Torture (CaT). The office staff expressed concern about the fate of the children living in neighbouring flats and stated that the fire could be caused by arson.

According to the above MfE source the version of a short circuit is incorrect.

On December 14, in Grozny, two lawyers of the CaT were detained and soon released. On the following day it became known that the JMG decided to continue working in the territory of Chechnya, but was thinking about moving its office to some other region – to Dagestan or Stavropol Territory.

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

Author: Magomed Tuaev

Source: CK correspondent