Colleagues of Gadjiev associate disruption of a picket in his support with police unprofessionalism

On May 9, participants of regular actions in support of Abdulmumin Gadjiev, a journalist of the weekly newspaper “Chernovik” (Rough Draft), moved the picket location to another district of Makhachkala because of the celebration of Victory Day. However, the district police disrupted a solo picket, as they mistook a solidarity action for a protest rally, colleagues of Abdulmumin Gadjiev believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on May 9, in Makhachkala the police disrupted a picket held by a colleague of Abdulmumin Gadjiev. Magdi Kamalov, a founder of the weekly newspaper “Chernovik”, had to interrupt his action in support of Abdulmumin Gadjiev at a request of a policeman, who said that Magdi Kamalov allegedly looked like a wanted man and that he should follow him to a police department.

On May 9, colleagues of Abdulmumin Gadjiev failed to hold an action in support of the arrested journalist at their usual place – at the intersection of Dakhadaev Street and Rasul Gamzatov Avenue – due to planned events, including the Immortal Regiment rally. Therefore, they decided to hold their actions in the park on Gamzatov Avenue.

Magomed Magomedov, a deputy editor-in-chief of the “Chernovik”, believes that a sharp reaction from the police was caused by a change in the location of the solidarity actions. The territory at the intersection of Dakhadaev Street and Rasul Gamzatov Avenue, where weekly actions in support of Abdulmumin Gadjiev usually took place, is under the responsibility of the Interior Division for the Sovetsky District of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). And during the actions, police officers from the MIA’s Interior Division for the Sovetsky District have an understanding that the activists are exercising their legal right to express their opinion. However, the territory where the journalists carried out solo actions on May 9 is under the responsibility of the MIA’s Interior Division for the Leninsky District, which employees have not yet developed their position on such actions.

According to Magomed Magomedov, the police actions were aimed at disrupting a solo picket, and the reason voiced by the policeman who said that Magdi Kamalov allegedly looked like a wanted person was just a formal pretext.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 10, 2022 at 10:41 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.