Aslambek Apaev: human rights defence is a dangerous business in Northern Caucasus

Activists of public organizations and human rights activists, who work in Northern Caucasus, are exposed to serious risk. This is the opinion of Aslambek Apaev, a Chechen human rights activist, expert of the Moscow Helsinki Group for Northern Caucasus and chairman of the Committee in Defence of Rights of Forced Migrants.

As examples, the Chechen human rights defender gave the incidents that took place in May with his deputy for Ingushetia Yakha Oligova and with Arkadiy Goryaev, head of the Foundation to Promote Rehabilitation of Repressed Nations in Kalmykia. Both of them were attacked by unknown persons and received thus serious wounds and traumas.

"Arkadiy Goryaev is my close friend and comrade. This April he was one of the founders of the Union of Repressed Nations of Russia (URNR)," said Mr Apaev.

"The creation of the URNR has caused serious discontent in all sorts of hurrah-patriots," he continued. "On May 27, Goryaev was attacked by a group of unknown persons. He was severely beaten and got to hospital. The attackers, naturally, were never found."

"On May 11, about two weeks before this incident, Yakha Oligova, my deputy in the Committee in Defence of Rights of Forced Migrants, was heavily wounded in Ingushetia. Two persons jumped over the fence of her house and shelled her from a pistol. Ms Oligova received six heavy wounds and is still in hospital. I'm sure that these actions were targeted, nicely prepared and aimed to intimidate all of us. After the incident with Oligova, the militia has also failed to detain any culprits," said the human rights activist.

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