Ingushetia: Evkurov Met with Relatives of Those Killed in
Special Operation
On April 9, 2012 in the city of Magas, Ingushetia, the head of the
Republic of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov met with the relatives of
Shamsudin Gardanov, Zina Velhieva and Salaudin Muruzhev – three of
the five people killed by forces of the Russian Federal Security
Service of Ingushetia on April 3 in Nazran during a special
operation to detain suspected members of illegal armed groups.
It should be noted that on April 3, a VAZ-2107 car on Oskanova
street in Nazran was fired upon, in which there were five people:
Salman Gardanov, Shamsudin Gardanov, Dzhuneid Gardanov, Salaudin
Muruzhev and Zina Velhieva. The National Counter-Terrorism Committee
said that they were rebels and had shown resistance at attempts to
arrest them. As many as two of them – man and woman – were found
with suicide belts on their bodies, the explosives set (it is
impossible to defuse the device without detonating them) and the car
with the dead passengers was blown up
(
http://www.memo.ru/eng/news/2012/04/06/0604121.html).
At a meeting with security officials on April 4, Evkurov announced
that a group of people preparing a terrorist attack were under
surveillance. In attempts to arrest them on April 3, they had shown
resistance and were killed by return fire. It should also be noted
that Evkurov did not list the number of people belonging to the
group, nor their names. He also said that information of there being
"innocent victims among the dead, who were with the bandits by
accident" would be examined
(
http://www.ingushetia.ru/m-news/archives/015982.shtml#more,http://www.ingushetia.ru/m-video/archives/015990.shtml).
On April 5, the son of Zina Velhieva contacted the Human Rights
Centre "Memorial." He said that on April 3 she was by chance in the
car of her neighbour Salman Gardanov; at the end of her shift at the
brick factory where she worked, she sat in Gardanov's car so he
could drop her off as the factory bus was running late.
On April 9, the father of Salaudin Muruzhev Bashir Muruzhev, the
father of Shamsudin Gardanov Israpil Gardanov, sons of Zina Velhieva
Bekhan and Kazbek Velhievs and other relatives of the three
deceased, met Evkurov. The Speaker of the Ingush Parliament Muharbek
Didigov, Prosecutor General of the Republic Pavel Belyakov,
Secretary of the RI Security Council Ahmed Kotivev and journalists
were also present at the meeting. The Prosecutor General assured the
relatives that a serious investigation of the murder of their
relatives would be conducted. Evkurov noted that the law enforcement
agencies have no information as to the involvement of Zina Velhieva,
Salaudin Muruzhev and Shamsudin Gardanov in illegal armed groups.
"No one is calling them rebels or suicide bombers. The investigative
authorities are trying to find out the reason for their presence in
the car with the bandits. One of the main versions is that the
Gardanov brothers, as members of illegal armed groups, used them to
cover up the transportation of explosive devices," he stressed,
addressing the relatives
(
http://www.ingushetia.ru/m-news/archives/016010.shtml#more,
http://www.ingushetia.ru/m-video/archives/016019.shtml).
It is known that on the eve of the meeting, Muhtar Buzurtanov, aide
to the head of Ingushetia, Ahmed Kotiev, Secretary of the Security
Council, and representatives of the Mufti met the families of
Velhieva, Muruzhev and Shamsudin Gardanov, and on behalf of Evkurov
expressed their condolences and offered assistance amounting to
100,000 roubles.
Y.B.Evkurov promised to hold another meeting with the relatives on
April 20, when representatives of the Prosecutor's Office will be
ready to provide them with the first results of the investigation
into the circmumstances of their relatives’ deaths.
Meanwhile, from Evkurov's statements it is believed that the
brothers Salman and Dzhuneid Gardanovs, killed in the raid, members
of illegal armed groups, were transporting explosive devices in the
car. According to Evkurov, this fact is confirmed by operational
recordings of their telephone conversations.
See also:
http://malsagoff.livejournal.com/622644.html (in Russian).
April 16, 2012