Administration of Nalchik pre-trial prison refutes information on harassment of prisoners from Ingushetia

Aivar Bolov, deputy chief of RF department of execution of punishments for Kabardino-Balkaria, has categorically refuted information that prisoners from Ingushetia held in Nalchik pre-trial prison are harassed by the prison administration and are periodically placed to the punishment cell.

"This is a pack of lies. None of them has ever been put to the punishment cell. None of them complains of his health. We have no problems with medical service or with medicines", said Aivar Bolov to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Bolov says that a moth ago the prisoners from Ingushetia were visited by a special commission sent by Evkurov, president of the republic. It included Buzurtannov M.H., Ingushetia parliament member, Gaghiev M.K., chief of the federal department of execution of punishments for Ingushetia, Khazbiev M.H., representative of the community.

"Having seen the conditions of holding the prisoners and having talked to them they sent a letter to the administration of the Russian federal service of execution of punishments in which they expressed their gratitude to the RF department of execution of punishments for Kabardino-Balkaria for creating favorable conditions for prisoners, for kind attitude and for observing legislation with regard to them", said Bolov.

Aivar Bolov also noted that previously, the prisoners went on a hunger strike, but this was connected with the fact that the Supreme Court of Ingushetia delayed the consideration of their case.

Meanwhile, Magomed Khazbiev, Ingushetia human rights activist, informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent over the telephone that he had been addressed by the prisoners' relatives with a complaint about their harassment for "Muslim prayers ".

"I have not yet managed to contact the administration of the department of execution of punishments for Kabardino-Balkaria. I will surely talk with them and clarify the relevance of their complaints", noted the Ingushetia human rights activist.

The human rights activists of Kabardino-Balkaria are not informed about the problems of prisoners from Ingushetia. "They have not applied to us", told Saur Shokuev, lawyer of Kabardino-Balkaria human rights center, to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Magomed Gandarov, lawyer of the Ingushetia bar, is not informed about the complaints of his defendants either. "I hear this for the first time from you", he said.