Police starts checking complaints of Dagestani hunger-strikers

Today, policemen have accepted applications from the hunger strikers in the village of Shushiya, Novolak District of Dagestan about violations of their rights. Officials from the republic's government promised to help the protesters to solve their problems.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 10 the hunger strike, initially declared on December 23, 2014, was resumed in the village of Shushiya. The protest was suspended on December 24 after the promise of the district head Gadji Aidiev to return the land that had been granted into lease to the Agrarian-Production Cooperative (APC) "Almaz", back to villagers. The hunger strike takes place in an uninhabited and unheated house located in the outskirt of the village; and initially there were 15 hunger-strikers. As of today, 10 hunger-strikers continue their action.

Kamaludin Budaichiev, the chairman of the executive committee of the National Council of Lak Nationals, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that today the hunger-strikers were visited by the head of the Kumtorkalin ROVD (District Interior Division). "We hope policemen will investigate the matter and bring to the criminal liability the bureaucrats who had brought people to such an extreme measures as hunger strike. The point is not only about violations of the land legislation, but also about the low-quality construction of houses for resettlers, and about their unacceptable living conditions," said Budaichiev.

Badrudin Yusupov, the head of the above ROVD, explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his agents were collecting materials on the complaints. "We'll gather material; and if there are grounds, we'll open criminal cases on violations of the rights of citizens who are hunger-striking here today," he promised.

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