31 May 2007, 13:42
Dagestan honours the memory of the victims of executed meeting
On May 30, a mourning meeting was held in Makhachkala to mark one year's anniversary of the shooting of the meeting, where the protesters had demanded resignation of Kerimkhan Abasov, head of the municipal formation "Dokuzparinskiy District."
We remind you that as a result of dispersal of that meeting, Emin Ahmetkhanov was heavily wounded (his life is still in danger), and Murad Nagmetov died from the injuries in situ. Alusset Nasrullaev, who did not participate in the meeting, was shot point-blank, when he stood smoking at the doorway of his own house.
Lawyer Ziyaudin Uvaisov has stressed the cynicism of behaviour, when the militia, while allegedly standing for the interests of the state, was shooting innocent people, but the state would not bear any moral or material responsibility for this sort of actions.
According to the participants of the meeting, the failure of the authorities to act looks just criminal. Although a criminal case was initiated under two Articles: "murder with aggravating circumstances" and "use of firearms," it seems like those guilty will never be found.
Human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov has emphasized the necessity of opening in Makhachkala or Khasavyurt of a permanent human rights centre, where people who suffered from illegal actions of the authorities could address.
The meeting ended with adoption of a petition to President of Russia Vladimir Putin, containing a demand of immediate dismissal of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Prosecutor of Dagestan, punishment of those guilty of shooting the meeting, and payment of "compensation to the innocent victims - those who lost members of their families or received mutilations from the actions of the workers of power agencies."
Author: Ahmed Magomedov, CK correspondent