Violence Accompanies Mop-Up Operation in Starye Atagi on Aug 3-4, 2001 (report)
Prague Watchdog correspondent, North Caucasus – On Aug 7 the Russian army lifted the ban on the movement on Chechen roads, which was introduced several days ago on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Chechen storming of Grozny in 1996, and eased the regime at check-points at the country’s borders, which enabled Starye Atagi villagers to report to journalists and human rights organisations located in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia about their suffering during a so-called mop-up operation carried out in their village by Russian servicemen.
According to Makki Maayevova, Taus Akhmadovova and Jakhi Shachtamirovova, on Aug 3 at about 5 a.m. Starye Atagi was surrounded by armoured vehicles and military aircraft were flying over the village at a low height. Before the mop-up started, the village was shelled by guns and grenade launchers and fired at by small arms, which caused damage to two local mosques and several houses. Soldiers then would break into houses, kick in the door, wreck furniture, and take away household equipment and strip women of their golden jewellery.
During Aug 3-4 Russian soldiers detained and took away a total of 12 local inhabitants, including Lecha and Lema Maayev and their four sons, the youngest of which was twenty years old. The soldiers detained and took away also 61-year-old Zaurbek Sadayev and a 62-year-old refugee from Grozny Aslambek Dudayev. The rest of the detained were middle-aged people.
Starye Atagi, which lies south of Grozny along the Shatoy road, is the hometown of Zelimhkan Yandarbiyev, who took over presidential powers after Dzokhar Dudayev’s death in April 1996. The locals said this fact might be the reason for the abuses by Russian soldiers, although Yandarbiyev and his relatives had left their homes long ago to avoid the possible prosecution by Russian law enforcement agencies.
Although registration numbers of military vehicles were veiled by tatters and hidden under mud, the villagers managed to identify and remember them. Some indices have shown that they were army units from Khankala, Russia’s main military base in Chechnya, and from the surroundings of the Tolstoy-Yury village that carried out the operation.
Starye Atagi villagers turned to OSCE representatives in Chechnya and human rights organisation, demanding an investigation into the incident. People also asked for assistance in liberating their neighbours who were detained illegally.
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