Ingush Parliament Calls for Release of Prisoners, Better Behavior by Ingush People

Paul Goble

            Staunton, October 24 -  Members of the Popular Assembly of Ingushetia have appealed to Yury Chaika, procurator general of the Russian Federation, and Aleksandr Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, to ease conditions for the 29 Ingush protesters now being held (doshdu.com/deputaty-ingushetii-poprosili-osvobodit-arestovannyh-aktivistov/).

            The deputies pointed out that many of those under arrest are elderly or have illnesses that have become worse while detained, and they said that the release of Zarifa Sautiyeva, the only female Ingush protester who has been arrested, was a matter of simple justice and something they have repeatedly asked for.

            In addition, the Ingush parliamentarians published an open appeal to the Ingush population, calling on its members to behave better and avoid crude attacks on one another and on the republic’s leaders. It described those who are doing so as “provocateurs” who are undermining civility in the republic (akcent.site/novosti/6266).

            The parliamentarians warned that those who engage in such actions are “provocateurs” and that they may be subject to legal prosecution.  “We request,” they continued, that the people of Ingushetia remain true to their long-standing national traditions and do not slander anyone behind his back.

            (Those traditions, as the Zamanho news agency notes, involve the Ezdel code, a collection of rules that the Ingush people are supposed to obey from childhood and that reinforce and are reinforced by Islamic principles (zamanho.com/?p=14240). For a discussion of Ezdel rules, see akievgalgei.livejournal.com/117616.html).

            Zamanho’s interpretation is that while the first declaration reflects the views of protesters, the second reflects the needs of the powers that be. There is obviously truth in that; but at the same time, the situation is almost certainly more complicated given that the protesters have made a point in following not only the law but their own culture.

            That is because the leaders of the protest movement know full well that if law and civility break down in Ingushetia, there is a very real danger that the protests there will turn violent both because the traditional leaders will lose control of the situation and Magas backed by Moscow will exploit any violations to increase repression in the republic.