"Mothers of Dagestan" deny contacts with militants

Today, the FSB (Federal Security Bureau) Department for Dagestan continued interrogating Gyulnara Rustamova, one of the leaders of the human rights public organization "Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights". This was announced by Svetlana Isaeva, chairperson of the organization.

The reason for the interrogation was the murder on November 17, in the course of special operation in Makhachkala of Vadim Butdaev, Rustamova's brother, who was accused by militia in contacts with militants, and the murders of operative agent Arsen Zakaryaev and TV journalist Abdullah Alishaev.

Spokesmen from law enforcement bodies have repeatedly announced that Rustamova has close relations with militants and supports them with foodstuffs and wives. In her turn, Gyulnara Rustamova has categorically asserted that she has nothing to do with militants; and her brother left his home because of persecutions by militiamen.

The "Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights" are now in the focus of public attention also because of the murders during a special operation on October 28 in the Sergokalin District of Dagestan of three persons: Nustapa Abdurakhmanov, Saidgadji Saidgadjiev and Gajiakhmed Akhmedov, which, under the version of law enforcers, started a skirmish with them and were militants. Already on the following day, information appeared that Abdurakhmanov was an active member of the human rights organization.

Ms Isaeva said that really Abdurakhmanov had rendered certain assistance in the work of the organization. "On September 30, Abdurakhmanov came to the office and expressed his desire to help us. I asked Gyulnara to take his application. Since that time, we didn't see Abdurakhmanov; when information appeared about his death, I visited the morgue, but I didn't find Abdurakhmanov's body there, only bodies of Saidgadziev and Akhmedov were there with traces of torture," said Isaeva.

In his turn, an imam of one of the Makhachkala mosques has reported, on the condition of anonymity, that Abdurakhmanov's body had traces of automatic firearm bullets. He also asserted that on that day Abdurakhmanov could not have taken part in the skirmish in the Sergokalin District.

Isalmagomed Nabiev, chairman of the independent trade union of businessmen of Dagestan, thinks that the above incidents will not cause any damage to the prestige of the human rights organization.

"Naturally, the authority will try to discredit it still further, but the 'Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights' has always operated within the legal bounds, under the Constitutions of Russia and Dagestan," Mr Nabiev remarked.