Khazbiev: Batyr Albakov was killed in Ingushetia for the sake of statistics

Batyr Albakov, who was kidnapped and later found dead and who was labelled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia as a militant, was killed for the sake of statistics. This opinion was stated by Magomed Khazbiev leader of Ingush opposition. Human rights defenders note many strange things in this murder. Arsen Sakalov, director of the Nazran-based fund "Legal Initiative" said that as a whole, it happens extremely seldom that the kidnapped person is presented as militant.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 21, in Ingushetia, near Arshty settlement, Sunzha District, Batyr Albakov was killed in a skirmish. The republic's MIA then noted that he was one of militants' leaders and took part in subversive and terrorist acts. Meanwhile, one week before, Batyr Albakov was kidnapped from his own house. Eyewitnesses assert that Albakov's body had traces of torture and beatings.

Magomed Khazbiev presents the version of casualty's relatives: "Two cars with Chechen license plates arrived to Albakovs' house. Power agents presented themselves as employees of the Nazran ROVD (District Interior Division) and took Albakov away with them for giving evidence. His mother, who wanted to go with them, was politely offered to wait for another car they promised to send for her. Nobody arrived. For a week Batyr was searched, but nobody knew where he was. On Tuesday (July 21) Albakov was killed in Arshty in a special operation conducted there," said Mr Khazbiev.

In his opinion, Batyr Albakov is intentionally presented as a militant. "In this manner special agencies 'make figures' in their reports: look, we liquidate militants, see our results. They kill for statistics," Mr Khazbiev has added in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Arsen Sakalov, who was already quoted above, pictured the general situation in the republic and said that cases when occasional people murdered in combat clashes were announced to be militants are frequent. "If a person dies in a skirmish, they can later 'hang up' many criminal cases on him. Even if he just occasionally got under a special operation, was unlucky to be at a wrong place at a wrong time," said Mr Sakalov.

However, as he added, the practice, when a kidnapped person is presented as a militant, is not so frequent.

Magomed Mutsolgov, leader of the human rights Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization (NCO) "Mashr", said earlier that Batyr Albakov's murder had a lot of strange details. He notes that Albakov's body had knife wounds, one arm was half-cut off and numerous bruises could be seen. In his opinion, Albakov's death in a fight was hardly probable. "Of course, he has two bullet wounds, this is a fact; however, as far as we understand, nobody throws knives and waves axes in a fight," the human rights activist has added.