Relatives of kidnapped persons hold rally in Makhachkala

Today, in the square in front of the house of government of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, relatives of kidnapped persons have held their rally. According to different sources, from 50 to 200 persons took part in it demanding to stop kidnappings and murders of young people in the republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Fatima Tarasova, press secretary of the Russian Islamic Committee, that militiamen did not allow the protesters to hold a normal rally: "They squeezed the audience deep into the adjacent park."

Ms Tarasova said that the reason of the rally was kidnapping on August 23 of two young men - brothers X. (the victims asked not to give their names), - when they went in their car to see off their cousin after iftar (end of fasting). She explained: "They were blocked by a car; people in masks jumped out of it. They handcuffed the brothers, pulled cellophane bags over their heads and fixed with scotch tape; then, they took the brothers in unknown direction."

The young men were brought in a cellar, where three persons were already kept. "They gave a pistol to one of the brothers and said that should he kill two out of those three detained earlier, he and his brother would be released. When he refused, they told him that those three would kill him without thinking. He said to this: 'Let them do it.' Then, they started beating the brothers," Fatima Tarasova said.

According to her story, after beatings, unknown persons offered the brothers to take a knapsack with explosive and plant it in a mosque during the Friday prayer. They refused and were beaten again.

Then, all the five detainees were brought in the direction of the airport.

Ms Tarasova continued: "They felt a clear smell of chloroform in the car. Then, they put another man into the car; they put a choker on his neck and started strangling him. At the same time, they tried to strangle the elder X. with a bag. They both pretended to lose consciousness. Then, the kidnappers poured gasoline over them, put a grenade between the legs and drove away to a safe distance. A guy sitting next to X. managed to free his hands, and threw the grenade out in the window. It blew up at once. They tried to start the car but failed. The three other persons in the car were still unconscious. At that time the kidnappers, seeing that the explosion was outside the car, started approaching it. The guys rushed to run away, and the criminals followed them. In was four o'clock in the morning, and the guys managed to escape in twilight. They managed to get to Kaspisk, and called their relatives from there. The latter addressed militia at once," Ms Tarasova has added.

She has reported that the fate of three kidnapped guys - Arthur Butaev, Emiraslan Islamov and Gadji Gudashev - remains unknown. "Their relatives have no doubts that it was the work of special agencies," Fatima Tarasova has noted and added that an application was submitted today on holding tomorrow, on August 26, of a big rally in front of the house of government.