Res publica IngushetiaBy Saida Kantysheva, special to Prague Watchdog
Counter-terrorist operation zones in the North Caucasus region continue to proliferate and expand. The situation in the Chechen Republic, previously considered to be a war zone, has eased and shown outward signs that the conflict may be abating. The life of Chechen society is gradually returning to normal – jobs have appeared, Grozny is being reconstructed at a swift pace, and people are gradually returning to their homeland from other regions of Russia.
The new targets of counter-terrorist operations are now increasingly located in districts of Dagestan and Ingushetia, where the atmosphere is growing more heated by the day. In Ingushetia there is also still tension within society due to many unresolved social, economic, political, legal, and other problems.
The pretext that led to some parts of Ingushetia being declared “counter-terrorist operation zones” was a protest rally scheduled for January 26. This event was originally planned to be held in central Nazran under slogans condemning terrorism and corruption. It was also supposed to involve a discussion of the situation with regard to human rights violations in Ingushetia and the outcome of the recent Russian State Duma elections .
People are justifiably angry about the falsification of the election results. As was earlier noted in the Prague Watchdog report on the Duma elections in Ingushetia, the official figures for voter turnout are simply impossible. People did come to the polls, but most of those interviewed on the city’s streets and directly outside the polling stations did not think it necessary to vote, nor did they see much point in doing so. They had perceived in advance that the results of the elections had already been prejudged, and that they would not be able to change anything.
In the end, the protest rally in Nazran did not take place as scheduled. The rally venue was cordoned off, all kinds of methods were employed to discourage people from taking part, and arrests were made. There was even some gunfire. In return, some people, mostly youths, tried to respond to force with force.
This is not the first rally in Ingushetia to be stopped by the use of intensive measures. On each occasion the suppression has been increasingly vehement, active and harsh. The events of January 26 once again showed that the authorities are afraid to listen to people’s views, to see the extent of the protest, to acknowledge the massive opposition and to engage it in dialogue.
On the basis of their opinions about the recent rally, Nazran residents can be divided into three categories:
1) People who were directly involved in the rally, and others who are unhappy with the present situation in the republic and were therefore interested in the fact that a rally was being held;
2) People who take little interest in politics and society. They make no attempt and do not even want to see what is happening around them in their republic, and usually say: "Nothing really happened there, everything is calm and okay,” or "They were the teenagers who wanted to do something there on their own initiative.” One part of this category sees the efforts to fight for their rights as desirable and necessary, but they themselves believe that there is no need for them to approach the problem more closely and are willing to remain on the sidelines, as far away from any problems as possible. Another part of this category not only wants to remain on the sidelines, but also considers the manifestation of protest dangerous and unnecessary. They are afraid that interventions by ordinary people will bring about a deterioration of the situation in the republic and a disturbance of the existing state of calm, even though it is a relative and questionable one.
3) There is a third group who are outraged by ordinary people’s desire to witness or engage in protest activities. This group is only a small percentage, and they are people with a vested interest. They believe that the actions of the rally participants are without justification. In their view, there are no problems in Ingush society so serious as to require opposition of this kind. The situation in the republic suits them very well, and they do not want to express an opinion that runs contrary to that of officialdom, especially as they are often part of the latter.
The Ingush authorities will do all that they can to put obstacles in the way of the next rally, scheduled for May, and will take measures to prevent it using even greater force. However, since the protest campaign is now in the focus of public attention, the attempts to prevent and suppress it will bring about an even stronger protest and a desire to continue the struggle. But our government should pay attention to people's feelings and find peaceful ways to overcome the current crisis. This can be achieved but one has to take into account the peculiarities of local societies, such as very close clan and family relationships.
No one yet knows what further developments may lead to. It is, however, clear that Ingushetia is now living in tension and anticipation of something yet to come.
P.S. In Ingushetia there is also a high incidence of arbitrary behaviour on the part of some law enforcement officers who harass people with impunity, knowing in advance that their victims have no recourse to justice and that they can get away with anything. In the days immediately preceding the protest rally, Prague Watchdog’s correspondent also came across brazen, unlawful and unpunished actions by people working in the republic’s law enforcement agencies:
"As I was driving my car through central Nazran, some men in a silver VAZ 2199, reg. “s339ss 06 region”, tried to cut me up. In order to get away from them, I had to break all the rules of the road – at maximum speed, on the wrong side of the road, veering up onto the sidewalk. As a result of the pursuit, my car received damage to its bodywork.
When I reported the incident to the road traffic police, they turned out to be unable to help me, as the people who had followed me in the car were law enforcement personnel – a fact of which they immediately informed us, waving their police IDs boastfully. They also turned out to be drunk at the wheel and were using filthy language. They gave no reason for the pursuit, but after the incident they kept circling round for a long time.
There were some 18-year-old Russian soldiers on duty nearby, deployed here from other parts of the country. They supported me and said that if necessary they would defend me from "those bastards".
As a Muslim woman I find it offensive that there are such people in Islamic society who bring Islam and our Ingushetia into disgrace. People who witness the behaviour of these isolated few may judge all Muslims and the whole Ingush people by their example."
(Translation by DM) (T) RELATED ARTICLES:
· Slayings of innocent people continue in Ingushetia (PW, 3.2.2008)
· Ingush opposition rally dispersed in Nazran (PW, 26.1.2008)
· Ingush public worried about the situation in the republic (PW, 14.12.2007)
· Tension continues in Ingushetia (PW, 23.11.2007)
· Ingushetia at the crossroads (PW, 6.9.2007)
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