Ingush Activist Yevloyeva Formally Charged in Absentia with Discrediting Russian Army

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 22 – Izabella Yevloyeva, the founding editor of the independent Ingush opposition publication Fortanga, who has been in emigration since 2019 has now been charged for a second time – the first was in March of this year -- with discrediting the Russian army and her relatives still in Ingushetia have been threatened.

            The first woman in the North Caucasus to face such charges considers them baseless – “I have not discredited the Russian army; the Russian army is discrediting itself,” she says (fortanga.org/2022/04/zhurnalistka-izabella-evloeva-stala-figurantom-vtorogo-ugolovnogo-dela/).

And Yevloyeva earlier told an interviewer that in the current situation, it is no surprise that the powers would be going after her family and friends in an effort to get at her and stop her activities, something she won’t do (daptar.ru/2022/04/27/nikogda-ne-mschu-no-eto-ne-znachit-chto-ya-zabyila-intervyu-s-zhurnalistkoy-izabelloy-evloevoy/).

Two weeks ago, the siloviki conducted a search at her parents’ house and warned them that if they did not cease helping their daughter to publish her articles, “her family would not be left in peace” (fortanga.org/2022/06/izabella-evloeva-privlechena-v-kachestve-obvinyaemoj-po-delu-o-fejkah-protiv-vs-rf/).