19 November 2011, 19:00
Ingushetia: mother of alleged militant asks him to return home
Pyatimat Kuzgova, the mother of Arthur Gatagazhev, 36, a resident of the Ingush village of Sagopshi, who is searched for organization of and participation in illegal armed formations (IAFs), has addressed her son asking him to get out of the forest and back to normal life under the guarantees of the authorities.
The woman said that on November 18, 2009, Arthur, who earned his living as a private taxi driver, was giving a lift to his friend Ruslan Terkakiev; however, at the entrance to Nazran they were detained by policemen.
According to law enforcement bodies, Ruslan Terkakiev was the leader of the Malgobek underground, but he had "worked" in that capacity only for a year. Terkakiev made a deal with the investigation; and it eased his fate: the court sentenced him to three years of imprisonment.
For lack of evidence, the investigation released Arthur Gatagazhev, suspected of involvement in IAFs, from custody. Then, Gatagazhev disappeared.
According to operative data, in 2010 Gatagazhev became the "Amir" of the Malgobek underground. Power agents assert that his grouping was involved in murders, robberies, bombings, terror acts and numerous cases of extortion.
According to Gatagazhev's mother, her son did not come home for more than a year; in despair to see him she turned to the media. In her video appeal she asks Gatagazhev to think about his five small children and his young wife, who wait for his return, and surrender to the justice.
In their turn, the Ingush authorities have promised that in case of surrender, Gatagazhev could hope for a fair trial.
Source: CK correspondent
