Head of Dagestan criticizes law enforcers for raid in a mosque near Moscow

The competent authorities should assess the behaviour of the law enforcers who raided the mosque located in the town of Kotelniki near Moscow during the last namaz (Friday prayer), Sergey Melikov, the head of Dagestan, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 7, law enforcers checked documents of visitors to the mosque in Kotelniki. The raid during the prayer outraged the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who has demanded that law enforcers be held accountable. On this occasion, Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma MP from Chechnya, had a meeting with the governor of the Moscow Region.

Mr Melikov has stated that the behaviour of law enforcers casts a shadow on the ministry where they work.

"How justified was the decision of these law enforcers to raid the mosque on the Holy Friday, and why were they so intemperate in their statements?" Sergey Melikov asked in his Telegram channel.

He has stressed that fighters from different regions of Russia are taking part in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, and also referred to President Vladimir Putin's working trip to Dagestan as an example.

Let us remind you that the actions of OMON (riot police) fighters during the raid on a mosque in Kotelniki were also condemned by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of the Moscow Region.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is an unrecognized separatist state formation existing in 1991-2000, created after the collapse of the Soviet Union on part of the territory of the former Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and liquidated by the Russian army during the second Chechen military campaign. Ichkeria was not recognized by any of the UN member states.