03 October 2009, 17:00
Newsweek: "death squadrons" in the Caucasus are backed by local operative agents
The Caucasus is overwhelmed with rumours about secret "death squadrons", which are murdering militants and their helpers. The "Newsweek" magazine has concluded, having held its investigation, that the notion of "death squadrons" is just a nice symbol, most likely backed by local operative agents.
In the opinion of the edition, this is also the reason of the leaflets that appeared in Dagestan with the so-called "black lists", in which anonymous authors promise to purposefully "liquidate bandits" and take revenge for perished militiamen and peaceful citizens. Besides, the magazine writes, the authors of leaflets also express their readiness to resist the "corrupted political elite."
In Dagestan, rumours are spread about "death squadrons" - certain secret groupings engaged in repressions and murders. The rumours fell into fertile field: the Caucasus sees growing count of kidnappings and extrajudicial executions. The "Mothers of Dagestan" assert: only for first half of September 13 persons were kidnapped in the republic are stolen.