Council of Lak people calls on Dagestani hunger-strikers to suspend their protest

Today, members of the National Council of the Lak people and the police of Novostroy have called on the protestors on hunger strike in the village of Shushiya of the Novolak District of Dagestan to suspend their protest action until the end of the trial.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 10, in Shushiya, protestors resumed their hunger strike demanding to return in the form of shares 9 hectares of land leased out by Agricultural Production Cooperative (APC) "Almaz". The current protest action takes place in an uninhabited and unheated house on the outskirts of the village, and it initially involved 15 persons. On Wednesday, the number of hunger-strikers decreased to seven persons. On February 26, the Supreme Court of Dagestan is to consider the appeal filed by the village administration, demanding to recognize the lease of land invalid.

All seven hunger-strikers feel very bad, and today, a medical attendant gave injections to all the protestors. This was reported by Elmira Bagirchaeva, a participant of the hunger strike.

According to Robert Bagirchaev, who also took part in the protest action, on Thursday, two hunger-strikers are going to attend the appellate consideration of the case.

It should be noted that earlier, district leader Gadji Aidiev has called the protest action in the village of Shushiya senseless and illogical. According to the politician, the problems of immigrants are gradually being resolved.

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