Residents of Yandare and Kantyshevo support opponents of border agreement

Ingush officials are organizing meetings, where they try to convince residents of the republic of the legitimacy of the agreement on fixing a new border. The meetings also involve members of the organizing committee of the Magas rally; the participants of the meetings in the villages of Yandare and Kantyshevo have already supported them, activists have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that authorities of Ingushetia refused to extend, past October 17, the permit on holding the rally of opponents of the agreement on the Ingush-Chechen border in Magas, but sanctioned the rally from October 31 to November 2.

In different dwelling settlements of Ingushetia, gatherings are held at which the border agreement with Chechnya is being discussed. These assemblies are organized by local authorities in order to convince the population that the agreement is correct and legitimate, Ingush activists assert.

Such meetings have already taken place in several localities, for example, in the villages of Yandare and Kantyshevo.

The meeting in Yandare that took place on October 23 was visited by masked armed law enforcers, who frightened people, eyewitnesses report.

"It all started like a normal dialogue; speakers referred to the Constitution of Russia and Ingushetia that we, the residents of the republic, should decide the fate of our lands according to the law," Magomed Khamkhoev, a deputy chairman of the public council of Yandare, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, after the idea was supported by the meeting, law enforcers suddenly entered the hall, stating that they had arrived to restore the order; however, the event was held in a calm atmosphere, Mr Khamkhoev has added.

Many gatherings organized by local officials in Ingushetia are boycotted or disrupted by local residents, said Ismail Nalgiev, an activist and a blogger.

In particular, according to his story, a meeting in the village of Kantyshevo, which took place on October 22, was disrupted.

A special surprise for the special commission was the arrival at the gathering of organizers of the rally against the border agreement, who told the villagers what was really going on and how the authorities were trying to manipulate the public opinion. After speaking out, the organizers of the protest left the hall of the house of culture. Following them, residents of Kantyshevo also left the premises.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 23, 2018 at 09:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.