Moscow and Magas Trying to Intimidate Mufti and Shariat Court in Ingushetia

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 13 – The raid against the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Ingushetia two days ago was carried out by siloviki from outside the republic and was intended to intimidate the mufti who is a longstanding opponent of Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and keep him from running for re-election and to prevent the shariat court from operating, Ingush opposition figures say.

            Among those making such suggestions are activist Musa Abadiyev (facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2626735110671964&id=100000065030355) and Ruslan Mutsolgov, the head of the Ingush section of the Yabloko Party (kavkazr.com/a/29995036.html).

            The latter said that “the goal of the leadership of the republic was to take under its control Muslim leaders and ‘maintain this control at any price and by any means’” given that the muftiate is on the side of the Ingush people in its struggle against the Yevkurov regime. After his release, the mufti issued a similar declaration (vk.com/video-86608608_456239374 and kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/336588/).

            In reporting this, Maaz Bilalov of the Kavkazr portal, observed that “it is interesting that neither the press service nor the procuracy nor the interior ministry, nor the magistracy for Ingushetia did not report this on their official sites or via the media,” something he said opposition figures had noted (kavkazr.com/a/29995036.html).

            Meanwhile, in a sign that even imprisonment isn’t stopping the Ingush opposition. Musa Malsagov,  who is in a Nalchik detention center appealed to the Russian authorities to begin a case against the Russia 24 television channel which accused him and his associates of being a criminal group and thus insulting their dignity (zamanho.com/?p=9164).

            Two other developments both reflect and intensify the growing conflict in Ingushetia. On the one hand, a former police official who became notorious in 2010 for his use of torture has resurfaced and pledged to do everything he can to suppress the enemies of the Yevkurov regime (zamanho.com/?p=9167).

            And on the other, Ingush refugees who had been living in a barracks have now been forced out as a result of a fire. The cause of the fire is unknown as yet, but the refugees believe that their earlier refusal to leave may have led some linked to Yevkurov to try to burn them out so as to be able to sell the land under the barracks at a profit (zamanho.com/?p=9150).