Ingush Supreme Court Orders Liquidation of Council of Teips of Ingush People

Paul Goble

            Staunton, March 27 – The Ingush Supreme Court today approved the request of the republic’s justice ministry to order the liquidation of the Council of Teips of the Ingush People because of what officials said was that organization’s interference in the activities of the authorities and publication of state secrets (https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/347617/).

            The justice ministry had submitted this request on October 9, 2019; but the court had to delay its decision because the ministry invoked a law which had still not gone into force. Four days ago, the Council of Teips called for “a peace agreement” with the government and promised to correct any problems, but the authorities refused.

            The Ingush government has complained about the Council repeatedly over the last 18 months and both imposed fines on that group and has arrested and keeps in detention its head, Malsag Uzhakov, having accused him of attacking police and organizing an extremist organization.

            The Council, which represents approximately 40 of the leading extended families in Ingushetia, has been locked in conflict with the authorities since the September 2018 land deal former republic head Yunus-Bek Yevkurov made with Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov. And it has become increasingly vocal in its criticism.

            The acting head of the Council is its vice president Murad Daskiyev who also heads an unregistered organization with a similar title, the Council of Teips of Ingushetia. Earlier this month, an administrative case was opened against him at which time officials declared that these were one and the same groups.

            It is unclear how the Council will react. On the one hand, its leaders have been committed to obeying the law even when they believe the law is being politicized and misused, and they may decide to disband the Council given that individual teips can assume much of the leadership it had provided before Uzhakov’s arrest.

            But on the other, in the new situation in which they find their republic, the leaders of the Council may ignore the court order given that it is now clear that Moscow and Magas have declared war on all independent elements of civil society among their nation.  In either case, this court action will exacerbate tensions in the republic.

            Meanwhile, republic interior minister Mikhail Korobkin gave his annual report to the Popular Assembly about his administration’s achievements over the past year.  He provided many statistics showing progress but made no mention of his role in suppressing demonstrations (serdalo.ru/mihail-korobkin-otchitalsya-v-narodnom-sobranii-ri-o-rezultatah-deyatelnosti-organov-vnutrennih-del-za-2019-god/).