"Alternativa" reports case of labour slavery in Ingushetia

Three men were held in labour slavery in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia; their documents were taken away, they were paid no wages, and they were beaten up for their offenses. They managed to contact the "Alternativa" movement, after which they were released.

"The story of forced labour in Ingushetia became known thanks to the three men, a <combat> veteran among them, who were unable to leave a construction site for several months. Dmitry, Andrei and Oleg worked on a farm in the Kirov Region. In December, the farm manager offered them a more profitable job in Ingushetia with increased pay. Upon arrival in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia, the men were put to work building a house. Their documents were taken away "for safekeeping," and their wages were delayed until the work was completed. When they asked to be released, they were advised to "calm down and act like men," said Arina, an activist with the "Alternativa".

"According to the workers, the young manager named Adam regularly resorted to threats, humiliation, and physical violence. In one case, he strangled a worker by his chain with a cross and beat him up. As a result, one of the men received traumas; and the other was hit on the head. Being in a mountainous area near the Chechen border, the men saw no way to escape. Nevertheless, they managed to contact us and get help. Now they are in safety," Arina has explained.

According to her story, they received few requests for help from Ingushetia, but this does not mean that there are no cases of labour slavery there.

An Ingush public figure has called the incident as a crime. According to his story, it is important to punish the perpetrators so that such cases do not happen again.

The punishment for residents of Ingushetia who used slave labour may be imprisonment, Valery Tolokolnikov, a lawyer, has noted. According to his story, the victims can also demand punishment for beatings, but this requires evidence in the form of a photo or video, and ideally a medical certificate.