Evkurov: part of the abductions going on in Ingushetia are a feint or "contracts" with members of power ministries

Reduction of the number of victims of armed confrontation in Ingushetia is called forth by the dialogue the authorities of the republic are having with members of armed underground and their relatives convincing participants of paramilitary groups (PMG) to surrender to the authorities. This was declared on June, 6, by Head of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov in his exclusive video interview to the "Caucasian Knot".

"I think a dialogue is the right thing to do, not the use of force, no matter what some people will say. A dialogue of the people with the authorities and the authorities with the people, and a thought-out work with criminals. This method fundamentally differs from the ones we used in 2007 - 2009. Now our work is more targeted, pointwise and professional", Yunus-Bek Evkurov declared.

"We have neither time nor will to go back to our former way of life"

It should be mentioned that according to calculation by the "Caucasian Knot", no less than 108 people became victims of armed confrontation in Ingushetia, 70 of them were killed and 38 got wounded. The total number of victims in 2011 is three times less than that of 2010 when there were at least 326 victims of armed confrontation in Ingushetia.

"So, there is a manifold reduction (of the number of people injured in armed confrontation - note by the "Caucasian Knot"). The number of all kinds of crimes in the territory of the republic reduced by 74% compared to 2010. As for acts of terror, their number is very much less than last year: reduction of this kind of crimes makes about 13% this year compared to the same period of the past one", Head of Ingushetia emphasized.

In the beginning of September, 2011, Yunus-Bek Evkurov signed a decree of forming a committee to assist adaptation of persons who decided to stop terrorist and extremist activities in the territory of the Republic of Ingushetia to peaceful life. The authorities are doing their best to provide the gunmen who surrender with jobs, involve them in social life for them "not to have time or wish to return to their former way of life", Evkurov said during the hearings "Peacemaking practice in Northern Caucasus: experience, patterns and increase of efficiency" held in the Public Chamber.

Just a month ago he gathered the relatives of members of one of the groups. Public prosecutor of the republic gave them a guide in which the conditions of pretrial agreement are described in detail. We had four talks, among them ones with persons having a wanted notice. We negotiated and gave them time. In the nearest future they are expected to come as self-reported criminals, surrender and give sincere evidence", Evkurov said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".

"They who come in armoured personnel carriers are most probably strongmen"

Yunus-Bek Evkurov confirmed once again that members of power-wielding structures were involved in some cases of kidnapping of residents of the republic. "If they came in armoured personnel carriers, carried a person away and the person disappeared I will not tell you that they are not strongmen", Evkurov said.

It should be reminded that Evkurov earlier stated that the number of kidnapped people in Ingushetia during the period of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 made 13. "In six cases out of these 13 we can see a feign of kidnapping and we have information that these people are members of some gangs. In the rest seven episodes, by the style of actions, behaviour and the use of special techniques we observe signs of kidnapping and involvement of power-wielding structures", Head of Ingushetia pointed out.

In his opinion, some of the cases of kidnapping people by strongmen are "contract" crimes. "They follow instructions of some people who have money. This is highly probable", Evkurov said.

At the same time, he emphasized that kidnapping of residents of Ingushetia by members of power ministries was "no systemic problem". "These are individual cases, they are up to investigation to detect", Head of the republic declared.

"Those who have gone "to the forest" are also declared kidnapped"

In Yunus-Bek Evkurov's opinion, some reports of kidnapping are aimed at disinformation in order to conceal the fact that some people considered victims of crimes joined armed underground. "The leaders of gangsters' underground have their own ideologists, web-resources and people who carry out these activities to keep the situation tense and make holding meetings and other actions of protest easier. People who have gone "to the forest" or abroad are declared kidnapped. Even their parents think that they were abducted", Evkurov considers.

"There is a certain Albakov who was allegedly kidnapped while local residents saw him several times. One gangster who fought together with him already evidenced that Albakov and four other persons "are in the forest", in a gang this man left and surrendered. He had long been in "the forest" and I will not make his name public. He reported three more persons who went abroad saying that they were going to move to the territory of Georgia and from there to another country", Evkurov said.

"There is no problem of jihad they want to convince us of"

Speaking of the reasons why local residents go "to the forest" Head of Ingushetia pointed out that the families of potential gunmen are at fault in many respects. "If you are your father's son then according to Caucasian customs, you will never follow Saiid Buriatsky and "some religious figures". You will not participate in the jihad they declared", he explains. - You will go to the jihad your father declared. I realize that the society itself corrupts a person. It is clear that in spite of one's parents' upbringing, some of the children will wander from the point or do something wrong. Nevertheless, it is first of all the parents' responsibility, not that of the society".

"It is a sin. They are pagans. There are no reasons for the jihad they speak about, no reasons to take arms into one's hands", he is sure.

In the first part of his interview Evkurov states that reduction of the number of armed conflicts is connected with a dialogue of the authorities of the republic with members of armed underground and their relatives. They convince the participants of PMGs to surrender to the authorities.

In the third part of the interview the Head of Ingushetia speaks of priorities in his inner policy.