Ingush Woman Who Lost Her Job for Collecting Trash at Protest Last Fall Now Fined

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 7 – Anzhela Matiyeva, an Ingush activist who lost her job at Rosneft after coming to the protests in Magas last fall over Yunus-Bek Yevkurov’s border agreement with Chechnya has now been fined by the government.  Her “crime,” her lawyer says, was to clean up after the demonstrators (fortanga.org/2019/06/anzhelu-matievu-oshtrafovali-za-oktyabrskij-miting/).

            This is just one example of how far Yevkurov’s repressive actions have gone. Another, that is sparking more protests, is his and Moscow’s illegal shifting of those detained to other republics during investigation and trial. Those moves, which affect only political prisoners, are sparking protests (doshdu.com/2019/06/07/один-из-лидеров-ингушских-протестов-п/).

                But so far, these protests have been without success; and the authorities are taking a hard line against them. An official of the magistracy for the North Caucasus Federal District refused saying that “we do not have a press service or give commentaries. All questions should be sent to the Investigation Committee of Russia” in Moscow (kavkazr.com/a/29986417.html).

            That response is certain to have at least one consequence: it will prove to anyone who has any doubts that Moscow is behind what Yevkurov is doing, something that will only further anger the protesters and tend to transform what has been primarily an anti-Yevkurov movement into something broader.