Members of JMG and CaT recognized victims in case of pogrom in Grozny

The Investigating Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has recognized the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) and the Committee against Torture (CaT) victims in the case of pogrom.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 3, in Grozny, unidentified persons attacked the office of the JMG, staffed by members of the CaT, crashed their service car, destroyed the office and the apartment of the JMG. Its employees managed to escape.

"Today, during the whole day, staff members of the MIA's Investigating Department for the Chechen Republic together with our employees conducting investigative actions. Our activists and the CaT have been recognized victims, and the appropriate resolution has been issued today. At present, we are engaged in assessing the damage, and the MIA is to examine the remnants of the car also for the purpose of assessing the damage," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told today by Igor Kalyapin, the head of the Committee against Torture.

According to him, the criminal case is being investigated under articles of destruction of other people's property and burglary (Articles 167 and 139 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The investigation is now being carried out by the MIA's Investigating Department; however, according to Igor Kalyapin, the criminal case will be brought to the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

At present, the Committee against Torture is busy preparing a report to Vladimir Putin on the incident in Grozny. According to Igor Kalyapin, the report is to refute the position of the Chechen authorities, that claim that aggression of the protesters was provoked by actions of the staff members of the Joint Mobile Group.

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