Shevchenko: both militants and power agents need adaptation in Dagestan

The main condition of a militant's adaptation is his refusal from armed struggle against the authorities, rather than from his views, while both militants and power agents need an adaptation mechanism, said journalist Maxim Shevchenko.

During the work of the adaptation commission, already about 50 members of the armed underground have surrendered; in total, over 60 cases have been considered; and more than 40 militants have been adapted, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed at the press service of the Government of Dagestan; however, exact figures were not specified.

According to Maxim Shevchenko, a Russian journalist from the television "Channel One", the setting up in Dagestan and Ingushetia of adaptation commissions gave "at least some light in the hopeless darkness existent in these two republics." However, according to the expert, there are those who oppose negotiations with militants.

"Power agents resist the negotiation process; they want to continue acting in the way they've used to in the last few years – to conduct special operations and liquidate militants," said Shevchenko.

"Power agents demand that cooperation with the investigation should be a precondition for adaptation. It's an absurdity; this should not be the case. Now, in the first place, adaptation contributes to return of a person to peaceful life; the main condition for adaptation is a man's refusal from armed struggle against the authorities, not a refusal from his own viewpoints, including oppositional ones. That is, he should not mandatory become loyal to the state. It's his right," said Shevchenko.

In his opinion, adaptation should have two aspects.

"On the one hand, members of the armed underground should get adapted, and on the other hand, law enforcers themselves. Without adaptation of the latter, no reconciliation is possible. I believe that this adaptation should apply to power agents, who often use illegal methods of investigation and prefer to liquidate an opponent than to hold dialogue with him," said Shevchenko.

In the opinion of Ruslan Kurbanov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the adaptation commission has not achieved the expected effect.

"I am convinced that there was no breakpoint, either in politics or in tactics and methods of power agents. So far, the militants' adaptation commission is a cautious attempt to find an alternative way of working in this direction; and its work to date is not decisive for the Caucasian republics," Ruslan Kurbanov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Elmira Magomedova, a resident of Makhachkala, said, when asked to assess the work of the adaptation commission, that it was difficult to do, since the structure was "closed enough to the public."

"The Commission should include respected figures of the Dagestani society, religious leaders and journalists. However, so far, from what we watch on TV, we see scared young men and PR actions of politicians," the woman said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Magomed Rasulov, a resident of Makhachkala, also believes that the adaptation commission is unable to solve the conflict in Dagestan. "Well, they've adapted a militant to civilian life, after a month power agents start coming to him 'to hold talks'. They understand that if the person had returned from the forest, he knows who had left there! And again the whole story repeats," said Rasulov.

Rizvan Kurbanov, the head of the commission, believes that the results of its efforts indicate huge prospects. Among its achievements he noted that the commission has already achieved a breakthrough in the mood of many members of the underground and appearance of intention in them to abandon their illegal activities and return to civilian life.