Law enforcers tell Evkurov about inquiry into arson of HRC "Memorial" office

There is no need to transfer the case about the arson of the office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" in Nazran to higher-level investigators, the head of the Ingush Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has assured Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the head of Ingushetia. Today, rights defenders have stated that they have no claims to the course and progress of the inquiry.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on January 17, a fire broke out in the office of the HRC "Memorial" situated in the city of Nazran. Computers and furniture were burned down; none of the staff was hurt.

On February 1, at a sitting with law enforcers, Mr Evkurov announced that the "most experienced law enforcement officers" are engaged in investigating the arson of the HRC "Memorial" office, the website of the head of the republic has reported.

The investigators "have established the intentional nature of the crime, defined several versions, and appointed a number of examinations," Dmitry Kava, the head of the Ingush MIA, told at the sitting. When Mr Evkurov asked whether there was a need to transfer the case to the Investigating Department for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), Minister Kava replied that there was no such necessity, the press service of the HRC "Memorial" reports.

According to the sources, Tamirlan Akiev, the head of the local branch of the HRC "Memorial", was also present at the sitting. "So far, rights defenders have no claims to the course of the inquiry," says the press release posted on the website of the HRC today.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.