10:47, 2 December 2019

Native of Chechnya complains of bullying after detention in Strasbourg

Screenshot of Abubakar Yunusov's Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5fU0xeo4-n/

Strasbourg policemen put pressure on two natives from Chechnya suspected of justifying terrorism by their gestures during making selfies, and would not allow them to contact their relatives, one of the detainees said after being released.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 27, in Strasbourg, policemen detained two natives of Chechnya after they made selfies during the Christmas Fair. On November 29, it became known that law enforcers had found nothing illegal in their actions and released them.

The Chechen natives made their photos with their index fingers raised up, which was regarded by French policemen as a sign of adherence to the "Islamic State" (IS), a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court. In policemen's opinion, this gesture is often used by IS supporters.

On November 30, Abubakar Yunusov wrote in his Instagram page that Strasbourg policemen did not allow him and his comrade to contact their relatives.

"They kept us for two days in the basement of the police station, where they pressed and mocked us; I was detained with my friend just because we took selfies and made gestures that are familiar to us (the index finger up), like many Muslims do. There is nothing provocative in our gestures," Abubakar Yunusov wrote; Strasbourg is indicated in his profile as his residence.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 1, 2019 at 02:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.