Thursday, April 30, 2020

Pandemic Overwhelming Ingushetia


Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 29 – The number of cases of coronavirus infection in Ingushetia has risen to 679 with a total of 20 deaths, enormous numbers for a republic of only about  500,000 people and ones that are putting enormous pressure on the health care system there (doshdu.com/v-ingushetii-za-sutki-ot-koronavirusa-odin-chelovek-umer-i-46-zabolelo/).

            Republic head Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov has attracted three doctors from Moscow to help (ingushetia.ru/news/v_ingushetiyu_pribyli_moskovskie_vrachi_dlya_okazaniya_metodicheskoy_pomoshchi_v_borbe_s_koronavirus/), announced plans to distribute food to more than 5500 poor families (etokavkaz.ru/news/81735), and appealed to the population for maintain self-isolation (ingushetia.ru/news/obrashchenie_glavy_ingushetii_makhmuda_ali_kalimatova_k_naseleniyu_respubliki_/).

            Because of the rising tide of deaths from the pandemic, two hospitals in Nazran have opened special facilities to allow family members to wash the bodies of deceased as is required by Islamic law, an indication the number of deaths is likely far higher than officials are admitting (capost.media/news/obshchestvo/in-observatory-ingushetia-relatives-of-the-deceased-is-washed-in-anti-plague-suits/).

            Meanwhile, the Fortanga portal published a letter from Isropil Nalgiyev who is under detention on charges that he attacked police.  He said that the Russian legal system is shameful, that he and other Ingush detainees are in good spirits despite poor conditions, and that the Ingush nation has no choice but to continue the fight (fortanga.org/2020/04/zapiski-iz-sizo-isropil-nalgiev/).

            Nalgiyev called on Fortanga and all other independent outlets to continue to tell the story of the injustices the Ingush detainees are suffering and to encourage all Ingush to continue the fight to restore the territorial integrity of the republic, ensure that the republic’s constitution and laws are obeyed, and have new leadership in Magas. 

No comments:

Post a Comment