Gadjiev's colleagues treat refusals to sanction rally in his support as politically-motivated

By the three refusals to sanction rallies in support of the arrested Abdulmumin Gadjiev, the Dagestani Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has relayed the authorities' position, activists believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Gadjiev's colleagues decided to hold a rally in his support on June 30. However, on June 19, the Dagestani MoJ refused to sanction the rally, stating that public events are prohibited in Lenin Square in Makhachkala.

On June 21, the public committee set up to support Abdulmumin Gadjiev submitted two more applications for rallies scheduled for July 7, but the MoJ rejected both of them.

The authorities are afraid of a resonance from the rally, the initiators are sure.

"We believe that quite a lot of people from various society layers may come, adherents of different viewpoints, and express their support to Gadjiev. This may be the main reason for the ban," journalist Idris Yusupov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He did not rule out political motives in the MoJ's refusals.

According to the lawyer, Arsen Magomedov, the Dagestani MoJ is a sot of "transmitter" of the authorities' decision. He has noted that events like the rally in support of Abdulmumin Gadjiev, as well as other public events, have a negative impact on the image of regional authorities.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2019 at 06:11 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.