Council of Teips of Ingushetia Asks Magas to Assign Larger Space for Public Demonstrations

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 23 – Reflecting both increasing activism by the teips and the likelihood that there will be a new round of larger protests in Ingushetia in the near future, the Council of Teips of Ingushetia has appealed to Magas Mayor Usman Aushev to agree to public meetings in a larger space than the authorities currently have.

            After the protests in 2018 and 2019, republic and city authorities restricted future public meetings to an intersection that holds no more than 1,000 people, far fewer than have assembled in the past.  Now, the Council says, the government should agree to a larger space (facebook.com/100033474913399/posts/307876887004806/?d=n and fortanga.org/2020/07/sovetu-tejpov-ingushetii-nuzhno-bolshe-mesta-dlya-krupnyh-mitingov/).

            It proposes three: the square in front of the Ingush government building, the parking area in front of the Accord Tower, and the square in front of FSB headquarters in the republic.  Asking for the first and third of these is certain to be viewed as a provocation by the powers that be, and consequently, the real question is whether the authorities will agree to the second.

            But by making this formal request, the Ingush opposition is continuing its efforts to operate within the law, something that will guarantee it more support within the population but that puts the powers that be in a difficult position. If they agree to a new space, more people will undoubtedly show up.

            If they don’t, more people will try in any case; and the onus for any problems will be on the city and republic government.