11:06, 14 June 2019

Threats of Chechen authorities because of road signs on border with Dagestan alarm rights defenders

A road sign on the Chechen-Dagestani border. Photo by Ilyas Kapiev for the "Caucasian Knot"

The road signs knocked down by a truck driver on the Chechen-Dagestani border have been restored, the Chechen administration has stated. After the threats voiced out by Magomed Daudov, the driver should fear not only a fine, human rights defenders believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 10, a video appeared on the Internet of demolition of a signpost with the inscription "Shelkovskoy District", installed in the outskirt of Kizlyar, a city of Dagestan. The signs will be reinstalled, Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, has promised. On June 12, it became known about the demolition of two more signs on the Chechen-Dagestani border.

The road signs on the border of the Tarumovka District of Dagestan and the Shelkovskoy District of Chechnya were knocked down by a KamAZ truck driver, Speaker Daudov said and expressed threats addressed to the driver.

The driver, who has knocked down road signs on the border with Chechnya, should expect consequences, said Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, Director of the Centre for Conflict Analysis and Prevention. She fears an escalation of interethnic tension.

Oleg Orlov, the head of the "Hot Spots" programme of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" shares the fear that the driver may face violence.

Albert Kuznetsov, a lawyer of the Committee against Torture (CaT), has expressed hope that the driver could only face liability for damaging the signs.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 13, 2019 at 08:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondents