Ingushetia Begins Investigating Cases from Yevkurov Period

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 23 – The Ingush investigative committee is now investigating cases from the time of Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the predecessor of republic head Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov. That is a common pattern in Russia, but experts say that in this case, it may not presage an attack on Yevkurov given that he was promoted rather than simply ousted.

            Dmitry Zhuravlyov, a Russian political scientist, is among those making that argument; but because the pattern of a successor going after his predecessor is so widespread, many in Ingushetia will read the charges against Yevkurov-era officials in that way – and that in itself will have consequences (capost.media/news/politika/analyst-sledkov-began-to-rake-the-works-period-yevkurov/).

            Meanwhile, today, there were three other Ingushetia-related developments:

·         Russian prosecutors have brought charges against an Ingush man for destroying a ancient tower to get construction materials. When that happened in December 2019, many Ingush blamed Chechens for the action. The new charges should defuse the situation if prosecutors have the evidence (fortanga.org/2020/06/razrushitel-ingushskih-bashen-pojdyot-pod-sud/).

·         Even though the pandemic remains very much part of Ingush life, the second group of Moscow doctors who came to Magas to help have now returned home, after receiving special thanks form republic head Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov (ngushetia.ru/news/gruppa_moskovskikh_medikov_zavershila_rabotu_v_ingushetii/).

·         The European Court for Human Rights has fined Moscow 28,000 euros (31,000 US dollars) for Russian treatment of six Memorial staffers who staged a demonstration in memory of murdered journalist Ana Politkovskaya in Nazran (doshdu.com/rossiju-objazali-vyplatit-shtrafy-izbitym-v-ingushetii-uchastnikam-piketa-pamjati-anny-politkovskoj/).