Yabloko speaks in defence of the leader of its Ingush branch and for an open discussion of the border problem between Ingushetia and Chechnya

Statement of the Yabloko party, 2.10.2018

The Yabloko party demands to stop persecution of Ruslan Mutsolgov, leader of the Yabloko branch in Ingushetia, and public activists protesting against the transfer of lands to Chechnya.

The protests in Ingushetia are caused by the fact that the decision to change the borders of the republics was taken behind the scenes. Information about upcoming agreements was concealed not only from citizens, but also from deputies of parliaments [of the two republics]. The secrecy of the arrangements causes rumours and suspicions on the part of society. The details of the agreement concluded between Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Ramzan Kadyrov are still unclear.

The use of repressive methods to fight the protesters leads to an increase in mistrust towards the authorities and also serves a tacit evidence of the correctness of these suspicions. We have to state that the regions of the North Caucasus are deliberately left outside the single legal framework of the Russian Federation. Participation in protests in the region today represents a threat not only to freedom, but also to life.

We consider the adoption of backstage arrangements to change the boundaries of the subjects of the [Russian] Federation unacceptable. Such provocative ways of “settling” territorial disputes lead to a split between nations and create a dangerous precedent. We remember the conflict between Ingushetia and North Ossetia over the territories in the early 1990s. Transparency and broad public dialogue guarantee the non-repetition of bloody conflicts.

The issue of the transfer of territories requires public political discussions and negotiations with participation of deputies of the republican parliaments of Chechnya and Ingushetia, the President of Russia, his plenipotentiary representative in the North Caucasus Federal District, the Minister of the Russian Federation for the North Caucasus and both chambers of the Russian Parliament.

Emilia Slabunova,

Yabloko Chair