Journalists detained at rally in Dagestan released

The journalists, who were taken to the OVD (Interior Division) from the today's rally in central Makhachkala, were set free a couple of hours later. This was reported by one of the detainees - Abubakar Rizvanov, Director of the "Khuda Media" Centre.

Let us remind you that two journalists - Abubakar Rizvanov and Ikramudin Aliev - were detained by police at the rally, held at the building of the Avar Theatre in Makhachkala.

"For several hours we were present at the rally; and all the law enforcers present there saw us. Then, a senior lieutenant came up to me. He didn't present himself, and asked for documents. I showed my passport; he took it away and said that we should go to the Soviet ROVD of the capital of Dagestan. When I asked: 'Why?', the lieutenant replied that it was an order of the head of the UVD of Makhachkala," Mr Rizvanov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Rizvanov believes that his beard could be the reason for his detention, because, as he claims, on their way policemen detained three more bearded men. "I know one of them: he's a journalist Ikramudin Aliev. When we were brought to the ROVD, Ikramudin asked how long out detention would last, to which the policeman responded that they had been ordered to detain them for three hours; and indeed - three hours later they let us go, with no apologies and no explanations," said Rizvanov.

The on duty unit of the Soviet ROVD refused from comments, saying that they knew nothing about the incident.

Let us remind you that the rally brought together more than three thousand people, who demanded to stop extrajudicial killings and abductions by power agents. The organizer of the protest action was the NGO named "Dagestan - Territory of Peace and Development", headed by Suleiman Uladive and Abas Kebedov.