Chechen women arrested after recent explosionsTimur Aliyev, North Caucasus – Because female suicide bombers were suspected in last week's explosions in the Chechen villages of Znamenskoye and Iliskhan-Yurt, several Muslim women have been subjected to questioning and arrests.
On the night of May 16, two women were arrested in the Ulus-Kert village in the Shatoi district; their neighbours said it was because they were wearing hijabs, a Muslim woman's overdress.
"The merest hint of Muslim affiliation in one's attire is enough to be brought in for questioning," said Taisa Isayeva of the Council of Non-governmental Organizations, a Chechen NGO group. "If you’re wearing a large scarf covering your hair, or hijab, it’s a certainty that federal soldiers will stop you," Isayeva added.
She attributed repressions against women as a result of a statement made by the authorities that Chechen commander Shamil Basayev organized a group of 36 female suicide bombers.
And Basayev has assumed responsibility for those acts of terrorism. On audiotapes being distributed in Chechnya, he brazenly states that it was he who organized the explosions in those two villages. He also warned that as commander of the Shaheed Brigade "Riyadus Salikhiyn," he intends continuing in these actions.
(T/E) |
