23:19, 22 July 2019

Ingush theologians call for release of activist Zarifa Sautieva

Zarifa Sautieva. Photo by the press service of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"

The Council of Alims and Imams of Ingushetia has called on the authorities of the republic to release Zarifa Sautieva, arrested in the case on clashes at a rally in Magas.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 12, Zarifa Sautieva was detained in the case on the clashes at the rally in Magas. Starting from July 15, she is being kept under arrest in Nalchik.

Zarifa Sautieva is suspected of calling for an attack on law enforcers.

At a meeting of the Council of Alims and Imams of Ingushetia, Ibragim Batyrov, the imam of the Malgobek mosque, reminded the audience that in Ingushetia, women were detained rarely and only in Soviet times. "We all know that she did not participate in the beating of public officers, but she was taken into custody," said Ibragim Batyrov as quoted by the "Interfax".

Zarifa Sautieva's arrest became a precedent for Ingushetia, since in the recent history of the republic, no women have been ever arrested for their civic position and for political reasons, state Ruslan Gagiev, a member of the Ingush People's Assembly (Parliament), historian Makka Albogachieva, public activist Pyatimat Yusupova, and political analyst Ruslan Martagov.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 22, 2019 at 12:28 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.