08:52, 5 October 2019

Police treats raids at Makhachkala mosque as safety care

The "Tangim" Mosque in Makhachkala. Photo by Magomed Akhmedov for the "Caucasian Knot"

On Friday, October 4, dozens law enforcers checked documents of the car drivers, who were driving away from the "Tangim" Mosque in Makhachkala after their Friday namaz (prayer). Law enforcers deny that they are collecting information with the aim to put believers on the "prophylactic registry", Idris Yusupov, a journalist, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that law enforcers are regularly conducting their Friday raids in the vicinity of the "Tangim" Mosque.

Rights defenders are treating these raids are a sort of pressure on the Dagestani Salafi community and a catalyst for the radicalization of members thereof.

In the opinion of Mr Yusupov, law enforcers are copying drivers' and their passengers' personal data in order to put believers on the "prophylactic registry".

During these actions, no one was detained, the spokesman of Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) asserts. "These are just measures to ensure safety in crowded places," he has stressed.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 4, 2019 at 09:09 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Ilyas Kapiev

Source: CK correspondent