Journalists demand to investigate attack in Ingushetia as terror act

The journalists, who suffered in the attack, committed by unidentified persons in Ingushetia on March 9, have called to qualify the attackers' actions under the article of "terror act".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Sunzha ROVD (District Interior Division) launched an inquiry into the attack on journalists and rights defenders under two criminal articles: "hooliganism committed by a group of persons" (Part 2, Article 213, of the Russian Criminal Code), and "deliberate destruction of another's property" (Article 167). On March 12, the article on "a group armed attack in order to steal property (robbery)" (Part 2, Article 162) was added to the case.

The addition of Article 162 of the Russian Criminal Code (robbery) is not enough. The criminals' actions should be qualified under Article 205 (a terror act), believes Alexandrina Elagina, one of the victims of the attack in Ingushetia and a journalist on The New Times.

"Our story is exactly under the article of 'violence committed in a publicly dangerous way with the aim of intimidation'," Ms Elagina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Yegor Skovoroda, a journalist and another victim of the attack in Ingushetia, agreed with Elagina that the article of "a terror act" should be added to the case. "It's obvious that what happened is an act of intimidation," he said.

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