‘I am an Ingush’ Movement Spreads

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 8 – Circassians, Russian human rights activists and non-Russian diaspora in Europe are now showing their support for the Ingush opposition by declaring “I am an Ingush,” calling for an end to the detention of opposition figures in Ingushetia, and in some cases demanding that Yunuss-Bek Yevkurov be removed.

            The “I am an Ingush” movement is especially impressive, modeled as it is on earlier human rights demonstrations in Europe (zamanho.com/?p=6115). But the Ingush opposition is certainly even more encouraged by expressions of support from the Circassians, Russan rights activists and demonstrations in Europe.

            For coverage of these developments, see fortanga.org/2019/04/cherkesy-podderzhali-borbu-ingushej/,  https://fortanga.org/2019/04/dolgie-razdumya-glavnyh-rossijskih-pravozashhitnikov-kogda-zhizn-i-zdorove-politzaklyuchennyh-pod-ugrozoj/, svpressa.ru/politic/article/229740/ and fortanga.org/2019/04/miting-v-podderzhku-ingushskogo-naroda-v-germanii/.

            Meanwhile, Russian journalist Yulia Latynina said that Moscow was making a dangerous mistake by sending in predominantly ethnic Russian troops to suppress the Ingush (capost.media/news/politicheskiyblog/latynina-o-volneniyakh-v-ingushetii-nikakaya-eto-ne-istoriya-ramzana-kadyrova). It is now Moscow’s crisis, not Kadyrov’s, she added.

            The Ingush Interior Ministry called for all Ingush to be fingerprinted, a measure that will certainly increase the political temperature there (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/334012/), even as more arrests and mistreatment of those incarcerated by officials continue (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/334026/, kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/333941/, kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/333999/, fortanga.org/2019/04/sovet-tejpov-i-advokat-m-bekov-pobyvali-v-nalchike-u-zaderzhannyh-aktivistov/  and fortanga.org/2019/04/zaderzhan-eshhe-odin-uchastnik-mitinga/).

            But opposition figures said they would continue their fight and their protests regardless of whether the Ingush authorities or Russian troops give their approval or not (fortanga.org/2019/04/mussa-zurabov-ingushi-budut-trebovat-svoi-prava-nravitsya-eto-vlasti-ili-net/).