23:04, 11 August 2017

MIA reports detention of 15 mosque-goers in Makhachkala

After the Friday prayer, law enforcers detained believers of a Salafi mosque in General Omarov Street in Makhachkala. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said that all 15 detainees had already been released.

According to eyewitnesses, the detentions took place in a mosque in General Omarov Street. One of the believers said that policemen stopped drivers and pedestrians near the mosque and explained their actions by searching for weapons and drugs.

The conducted events were of preventive nature, reported the press service for the Dagestani MIA. "They seemed to be suspicious, and they were detained for identification. Policemen checked their IDs and released them," a MIA's official explained to the "Caucasian Knot".

Law enforcers systematically detain visitors to the Salafi mosque in General Omarov Street (earlier, Hungarian Fighters Street) and put them on the police prevention registration list. The practice contributes to radicalization of Salafis in Dagestan, rights defenders believe.

Earlier, on May 19, members of a crew of the US PBS NewsHour TV Channel were detained together with believers of the mosque in Omarov Street after the prayer. After an hour and a half, the journalists were released, and they left Dagestan.

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

Source: CK correspondent