Ingush have More to Protest About than Borders and Irresponsible Leaders, Mutsolgov Says

Paul Goble

           

            Staunton, December 3 --  One of the almost inevitable developments when any protest lasts for a long period of time is that participants add to their list of grievances both in order to stay mobilized and as a result of their anger at the authorities for failing to address the issues that originally caused people to go into the streets.

            That is what has taken place in Ingushetia. Initially, the population went into the streets in October 2018 to protest the backroom decision of then-republic head Yunus-Bek Yevkurov to give up 26,000 hectares of Russia’s smallest republic to Chechnya. Then, his arrogance and malfeasant caused them to demand the restoration of direct elections for the republic head.

            And following mass arrests in March 2019, the Ingush protests added to their list of demands the release of prisoners especially the elderly and especially the one woman, Zarifa Sautiyeva, and investigation into the mistreatment of them and the harassment of the teips and rights activists.

            Now, Ingush blogger and opposition figure Magomed Mutsolgov argues, they have even more to protest about – including inadequate educational opportunities and decent health care and corruption in the republic’s construction industry (kavkaz-uzel.eu/blogs/342/posts/40755, kavkaz-uzel.eu/blogs/342/posts/40662 and kavkaz-uzel.eu/blogs/342/posts/40726).

            If the protesters do add such issues to their agenda, two things will happen. On the one hand, the authorities may find it easier to negotiate on at least some things in order to calm the situation. But on the other, and more importantly, this will further unite the Ingush people against their rulers and offer new opportunities to them to link up with protesters elsewhere.

            Meanwhile, there were two other related developments. The authorities announced that they have arrested former finance minister Ruslan Tschoyev following his conviction in absentia of corruption, a case that give additional support to those in the opposition concerned about corruption more generally (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/343091/).

            And a Stavropol court rejected appeals for the release of Ingush opposition leader Akhmed Barakhoyev who will remain in detention until at least February 10, 2020, and faces the serious charge of attacking policemen during last spring’s protests (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/343097/  and fortanga.org/2019/12/sud-ne-udovletvoril-apellyatsiyu-po-prodleniyu-sroka-soderzhaniya-pod-strazhej-ahmedu-barahoevu/).