18:16, 12 October 2018

Evkurov promises not to disperse Magas rally

View of Zyazikov Avenue, Magas, October 12, 2018. Photo by Umar Yovloi for the Caucasian Knot

The dispersal of the protest rally in Magas against the change of the Chechen-Ingush border will bring no fruit, the head of Ingushetia said today, thanking the federal authorities for refraining from using force.

On September 26, Ramzan Kadyrov and Yunus-Bek Evkurov signed the agreement on securing the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia. Residents of Ingushetia took to mass actions in protest against the transfer of lands.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 8, protesters moved to a new place, sanctioned by the authorities, who have estimated the number of protesters as 100 people. However, during the today's namaz (prayer), the site where the rally against the border change is being held and the adjacent roadway of Zyazikov Avenue were completely filled with people.

Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the head of Ingushetia, told the RBC in an interview today that he is not ready to use force methods to disperse the rally in Magas.

"No, we aren't [ready] for dispersals. We'll hold on to the last, this is a fact <...>. Why? Because a forceful [solution] will give nothing," Evkurov said, noting that "people also see the situation."

He also stressed that he is grateful to the federal authorities for their decision to "refrain" from using force.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 12, 2018 at 02:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.