Rights defenders doubt report about attack on checkpoint in Chechnya

Official reports released by the law enforcement bodies about incidents in Chechnya need serious verification. However, it is very difficult to confirm or deny their reliability. This opinion has been voiced by rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 19, a police checkpoint near the village of Roshni-Chu was attacked. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), one of the attackers threw a hand grenade to the policemen, while the second assailant opened fire from a pistol. Both attackers were killed and later identified as Akhmed Chakhkiev, a resident of Ingushetia, and Adam Tsutsaev, a resident of the Altai Territory.

Oleg Orlov, a member of the board for the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", warns to be careful when trusting any official reports from Chechnya. "A serious verification of information is necessary. It is also strange there are no dead or seriously wounded among those who were attacked near Roshni-Chu," Oleg Orlov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the Civic Assistance Committee, agrees with the opinion that reports from Chechnya need verification. She has noted that people who are dissatisfied with the power in the republic can attack on police checkpoint, but along with that fact, extrajudicial executions masked by armed clashes have long been practiced in the Caucasus and, in particular, in Chechnya.

There is too little information about the attack near Roshni-Chu to draw conclusions it was real or staged, stated Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, the director at the Conflict Analysis and Prevention Centre. According to her, the scenario of the attack is similar to the scenarios of the actions followed by solo followers of the ISIL*.

Meanwhile, Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya has also pointed out it is extremely difficult to double-check the information about the attacks in order to make sure the attackers were members of the ISIL*. She has explained that due to the public opinion formed around the ISIL*, no one is willing to investigate the details of the charges brought against its alleged members.

*"Islamic State" (IS, earlier, ISIL) is recognized as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia by court's decision.

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