16:54, 16 May 2005

Initiative punishable

Two cars pulled over near the house of Arthur Zokayev, local head of administration, in Dachnaya St in Khasania at about midnight on 15 May. The master of the house came out on hearing a car toot. He was shot dead right there with a Kalashnikov submachine gun. The Nalchik prosecutor's office opened a criminal case with regard to that, it told Yufo.ru today.

Zokayev headed an initiative group against the inclusion of the Balkar villages of Khasania and Belaya Rechka in the urban district of Nalchik in spite that the determination of administrative borders and the status of municipalities is provided by federal law. In the opinion of Zokayev and his supporters, the change in the status of the suburban villages infringes on the rights of the Balkar population to land. In this connection, the group repeatedly addressed Valerii Kokov, President of Kabardino-Balkaria, and Dmitrii Kozak, the Russian president's envoy to the South federal district. Zokayev also initiated a referendum to address this issue, scheduled for 29 May 2005.