The office of the “Committee against Torture” in Grozny, the apartment, which is home defenders of the Joint Mobile Group, and a company car on Wednesday attacked during a rally in support of Jambulat Dadaeva, who was killed during a special operation in Chechnya, Stavropol police.
According to human rights activists, gathered at the office of the protesters at first did not commit any acts of aggression. “Eyewitnesses say that people are just standing and talking on their topics. Slogan or any cries can not be heard “, – told in Twitter representatives committee. But soon the crowd began to chant slogans, and in the hands of the protesters were posters “Why silent Kalyapin?” (Kalyapin Igor – head of the “Committee against Torture” and member of the Presidential Human Rights Council (HRC) and “Dadaev – a victim of lawlessness!”. After of young people in masks smashed with sledgehammers parked in the courtyard of a company car of human rights defenders, broke into the entrance, painted over eye office and tore surveillance cameras – the crowd responded with applause for this.
Participants of the rally managed to break into the room, “the Committee against Torture “. The apartment defenders of the Joint Mobile Group opened the” Bulgarian “and also defeated, told RBC Kalyapin.” The apartment, where our lawyers, is in the same entryway as the office. And there, and there have been installed a surveillance camera. Judging by the fact that the video of the office and the apartment is no longer broadcast, defeated the two premises, “- said Kalyapin. His colleagues confirmed on Twitter, that the premises occupied by the thugs, and he himself managed to escape through a window.
Joint Mobile Group of human rights defenders was initiated by the “Committee against Torture” in 2009 after the killing of “Memorial” Natalya Estemirova. For security reasons, human rights defenders working in Chechnya on a permanent basis, and on a rotational basis.
The reaction of the authorities
Human rights activists unsuccessfully during the pogrom tried to contact the police. “Within an hour called in the Chechen Interior Ministry, Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city of Grozny, SU IC in the Chechen Republic” – they explained. The investigators arrived at the scene just after an hour. Chechen state broadcasting company “Terrible” described the incident as “spontaneous picket” in which “gathered expressed their protest against the politicization of human rights activities».
Kadyrov blamed the incident on human rights defenders – those supposedly themselves provoked the procession, and then did not come to the audience. In his Instagram, he said: “The analysis of events gives reason to conclude that members of the Committee deliberately provoked the incident, with the goal again famous in the world press».
With the participants of the action, he said, held the head of outreach Nadterechenogo district of Grozny, Shamil Kuts. “Any illegal activities, whatever they were motivated not allowed and will be stopped”, – promised Kadyrov. According to the SC on Chechnya, in connection with the attack were detained about 30 people, but, as noted by Human Rights Watch, «none of which are on the scene did not see the detention».
According Kalyapin, he immediately reported the situation chairman of the Presidential Council on Human Rights (HRC), Mikhail Fedotov. In addition, the human rights activist said on Wednesday will be a meeting of the Presidium of the HRC with the participation of the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin. “The main topic will be the discussion of the law on” foreign agents “, but if you have the word, we’ll talk about what happened, because it is including the effects of this law,” – said Kalyapin. In January, the Ministry of Justice of Russia made the “Committee against Torture” in the register NKO- “inoagentov.” Human rights activists have tried to challenge the decision.
A spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin promised to report on the situation in Grozny. On Wednesday, representatives of the “Committee against Torture” was informed about the attack on his office in the Chechen capital.
Recent defenders
The Joint Mobile Group, whose members live in Grozny rotational manner – one of the last human rights initiatives in Chechnya. Directly Chechen human rights organizations in the country no longer exists.
In December, the office of the “Committee against Torture” burned after in Grozny held a rally in support of the authorities of the republic to combat gang violence. The next day, a group of employees consolidated security forces detained, but they were soon released. The official version of the republican Ministry of Emergency Situations fire called arson.
A few days before the fire in the office of the human rights organization between Kalyapin and the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov had a conflict. “The Committee against Torture,” complained to the Russian Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General on the leader of the republic because of its record in Instagram, in which he threatened eviction of the families of terrorists from Chechnya, without the right of return and the burning of their homes. Several houses, which were home to relatives of those killed in the attack on Grozny terrorists were actually burned.
Later, Kadyrov said that money from foreign customers implementing the December attack on Grozny militants handed ” a man named Kalyapin. ” “We need to check to see whether it Kalyapin question. If confirmed, the present demand, “- wrote the head of Chechnya.
This is the second” offhand attempt to destroy the office of the Joint Mobile Group in Chechnya, “said the coordinator of Human Rights Watch Lokshina . “Our colleagues have regained office after the winter burning to the ground and continued to work in appalling conditions, because they considered it their duty. I hope that they will find a way to continue the work and now “, – she says. According to her, Joint Mobile Group – is the only organization that works on the most sensitive to the Chechen government affairs. “They are trying to squeeze out of the republic – it is a fact”, – the expert believes.
In 2009, after the murder of human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, a few months suspended its operations center “Memorial”, and in 2011 the office was closed, “Human Rights the center of the Chechen Republic, “which broke into the room armed men. In December 2014 – the first time since the beginning of operation in Chechnya – the office of “Memorial” in Gudermes was attacked. Five masked men burst into the room and pelted him with eggs. And in mid-May this year to terminate the operation in Chechnya announced “Novaya Gazeta” because of “obstruction of the lawful activities of journalists».
A colleague of Kalyapin HRC Maxim Shevchenko said that the Chechen authorities did not find it necessary to interact with ” those whom President Putin considers his social counselors. ” “Rather than engage in a dialogue with human rights activists and to establish contact with them reasonable, the government is putting pressure”, – he said RBC.
Chairman of the Standing Commission of the HRC on human rights in the North Caucasus Alexander Mukomolov believes colleague Kalyapin could be more careful. According to him, the committee “it is necessary to work very carefully and in conjunction with the security forces.” He notes that in Chechnya, “although the Russian system of government, but with its own characteristics” – you need to know the mentality and customs of the region, and work only with the approval of the leadership. “The main thing is not to hurt when you do a good job – says Mukomolov. – Are you human protection, and it eventually became worse. Man hiding, taken away somewhere, then he went abroad, and as a result suffered a family. They do not give offend chief ».
At present, the Committee against Torture takes swift action to ensure the safety of employees, saving documents and electronic media with the information on the work of lawyers in Grozny, told RBC mobile group coordinator on security Oleg Habibrahmanov. The question of the continuation of its activities in Chechnya will be decided later by human rights activists. “We have once again made it clear that in Chechnya can not be a human rights defender working without a license, Ramzan Kadyrov. We defiantly made it clear that they will not protect us, that we outlaw “- said Habibrahmanov.
No comments:
Post a Comment