25 October 2018, 10:47
Lawyers on outcomes of considering border agreement by Ingush CC
The Constitutional Court (CC) of Ingushetia will unlikely recognize the law on fixing a new Chechen-Ingush border as legitimate, since it indicated earlier the need for a referendum on this issue. If the law is found unconstitutional, the CC will oblige the Parliament to amend it, the lawyers polled by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.
On September 26, Ramzan Kadyrov and Yunus-Bek Evkurov signed the agreement on securing the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia. From October 4 till October 17, Magas hosted a round-the-clock mass rally against the change in the border with Chechnya. Protestors demanded the referendum on the issue of the border and the resignation of the republic's leader.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 18, the Ingush CC promised to check the constitutionality of the above border law on the Chechen-Ingush border at the request of MPs and residents of the republic; the court session was scheduled for October 25. At the same time, the response to the bill signed by Ayub Gagiev, the Chairman of the CC, states that the agreement on the new border with Chechnya cannot be considered by the Ingush Parliament, since such issues should be decided by referendums.
If the Ingush CC decides on the legality of the border agreement, the means of fighting against it in Russian courts will be exhausted, says Dmitry Timchenko, a lawyer of the international law firm "Trunov, Aivar and Partners".
However, he is confident that the CC will not recognize the agreement signed by Evkurov as valid.
The bottom line is that the land issue is decided by the population; the opinion of local residents is sure to be recognized, the lawyer points out. "And this is necessary both in setting borders and at changing them," Mr Timchenko has concluded, adding that in case of the CC's decision on unconstitutionality, the Parliament will have to correct its mistake.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 25, 2018 at 00:15 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Gor Aleksanyan Source: CK correspondent
