13015 THE FIRST INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE ABOUT EVENTS IN THE CAUCASUS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editorial office in Moscow RF, 103982, Moscow, DIGEST #15 2013 per. Luchnikov 4, entr. 3, room 1. Tel. (495) 621-04-24 Tel./fax (495) 625-06-63 THEMIS: SUI IURIS? E-mail: [email protected] Editor in chief Israpil SHOVKHALOV 2 MEANWHILE, PEOPLE CONTINUE Justice has been served! Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov might influence E-mail: [email protected] Pavlyuchenkov has been sentenced those involved in the case. Executive Editor TO DISAPPEAR... to eleven years of imprisonment Abdulla DUDUEV for his involvement in the murder So why did Pavlyuchenkov receive E-mail: [email protected] of Novaya Gazeta columnist Anna such a light sentence? It is written Department Offices Politkovskaya. Pavlyuchenkov was that he cooperated with investiga- HISTORY/HUMAN 4 under investigation from August tors, giving up his accomplices (or RIGHTS/SOCIETY/CULTURE 4 "WE WERE LEFT ONE-ON-ONE 23, 2011, which means that he will persons imaginary), and that he Maria KATYSHEVA, Zoya SVETOVA, have to spend nine years and eight has received plaudits and medals, Lidiya MIKHALCHENKO, months in the colony. Though, among them one for "distinguished Inna BUTORINA, Yelena SANNIKOVA, WITH OUR GRIEF..." Taus SERGANOVA even this is doubtful, since he will service." (He distinguished himself "Our repeated requests to the be eligible for parole in six years, especially in surveilling Anna Correspondents Marem YALKHAROEVA (Ingushetia) and his petition may be granted. Politkovskaya and setting his Mussa MEISIGOV (Ingushetia) head of the Republic of Ingushetia After all, he is no Khodorkovsky or accomplices on her trail.) This Aida GADZHIEVA (Dagestan) 8 WAR HERO OR UNREPENTANT CRIMINAL? Lebedev! And yet, an inner voice qualifies as a mitigating circum- Ali MAGOMEDOV (Dagestan) and to the Republic of Ingushetia tells me that Pavlyuchenkov will be stance? But the main thing, of Nadezhda BOTASHEVA freed even earlier. His lawyer has course, is that he "cooperated." (Karachayevo-Cherkessia) already petitioned (and will go on Though, he did not name the per- Assistant Editor Security Council produced no doing so) for his gravely-ill defen- son who hired him, which is the Georgiy ZINGER 14 FROM PEACE AT HOME TO PEACE dant to be granted a suspended pith of the problem, since the Literary editor of Russian texts results; everywhere we heard a sentence. And why not? assassin and his accomplices are no Irina VASUTCHENKO AROUND THE WORLD Pavlyuchenkov's illness, whatever more than six. English translation by single answer: we believe the secu- it may be, is no doubt more serious Boris SMIRNOV than that of Vasily Aleksanyan. Or And so to recapitulate: some, as we Design and layout the one that afflicts that young know, are tried over nothing: sim- Dmitry YAKOVLEV rity agencies." How many such tes- woman, Taisiya Osipova. By the ply, some distinguished police felt 16 STORIES INVENTED BY LIFE way, she, a diabetic and mother to like being courageous, and that is This publication has been published since 2003 and is registered with the timonials have already been print- a small child, was sentenced to sufficient to turn a healthy person Federal Service for Supervision in the eight years for selling drugs. But, into a lifelong invalid. I suppose Sphere of Telecom, Information ed by this magazine? And how "was there a boy?" that given such examination meth- Technologies and Mass Communications ods it would not have been diffi- (Roskomnadzor). 22 The certificate of re-registration is: "YOU NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED!" The fact that Pavlyuchenkov must cult to ascertain the client's name. PI No. FS77-46140, many more — we are terrified to compensate the family of Anna What does "exceeding one's dated August 11, 2011. Politkovskaya to the tune of three authorized powers" matter? No Founders and publishers: ask — will we have to print? It million rubles, is an insignificant one "exceeded" anything, nor fig- Members of the Russian human rights research center: detail not worth mentioning, like ured anything out. Did they not 24 "IF HE'S INNOCENT, HE'LL COME BACK?" Civil Society and Freedom of Speech seem as if time has stopped and anything involving money. He want to very much? Or is the Initiative Center for the Caucasus; received 150 thousand dollars client's name already known? The non-profit organization Right to Life from the client who hired him, so and Civil Dignity the only audible sound is of the three million rubles should be easy But I digress. Beside everything The opinions expressed by authors in articles and interviews to muster. 26 IN A COUNTRY BACK FROM WAR else, what bothers me in this story are not necessarily those of the editorial blood fleeing the hearts of moth- is that Anna Politkovskaya's life, as board or of the publisher. We would also like to note --- and it turns out, is worth unimaginably All rights to articles published in this issue this is not unimportant --- that less than the life of the football fan belong to the editorial board. ers and fathers — of the exhausted Reprint without permission of the editorial Pavlyuchenkov was placed under Egor Sviridov. Recall that for mur- board is forbidden. 30 HOW WE WERE COUNTED guard upon the verdict's dering Sviridov, likely without pre- When using or quoting articles, reference tears shed by sisters and brothers. announcement. Prior to that, he meditation, Aslan Cherkesov was to "DOSH" is obligatory. was under house arrest. It follows sentenced to twenty years! Is it not Not everyone, unfortunately, can that the court did not consider the time to remove the blindfold from The magazine is distributed in Russia, Georgia former officer of the Moscow City Themis' eyes? If we did, perhaps we Azerbaijan, Armenia, Lithuania, 32 A BLAZE OF KINDNESS, EXTINGUISHED Police a threat to society. Beside would discover whether she is sui Norway, Germany hear it. this, the court was not worried that iuris. Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Belgium, Great Britain Circulation of the Russian edition - 10.000; "This magazine is published with support from the Human Rights House Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, English edition - 1.000. and the National Endowment for Democracy" ABDULLA DUDUEV WITHOUT TRACE OR INVESTIGATION MEANWHILE, Mr. Agiyev was a private security guard a plenty of the envious on this sinful described are the only ones that this for the Republic of Ingushetia MVD. planet? publication is aware of. PEOPLE CONTINUE Where he is remains undetermined. What lies behind the word "disappear"? P.S. On December 17, the head of The persons involved in the abduction And who is behind the disappearances? Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov met have likewise not been found. Aliens? In such cases it really is impossi- with the colleagues of Akhmed TO DISAPPEAR... ble to find either the abductors or their Buzurtanov. As our correspondent was On December 6, in the Mayskoye victim. It looks like this is precisely the told by one of this meeting's partici- urban center, a suburb of RNO-Alania, conclusion that the North Caucasus pants, the head of the Republic remind- a group of armed persons abducted republics' investigative authorities are, ed those present that he had "offered 29-year-old Akhmed Buzurtanov, a fatalistically, leaning towards: they them hints earlier, not to tangle them- trainer at the Kaloy fitness club. don't seem to trouble themselves too selves with people one shouldn't tangle Chronicle of disappearances According to information provided by much, since the abductors can't be with" (meaning members of the armed in Ingushetia in 2012 Mr. Buzurtanov's relatives, his car was touched, while the victims are, resistance — Author's Note). stopped near his home by a group of undoubtedly, better off in some far- unknown persons in black military away galaxy. Hence, these authorities' "Did Akhmed hear this?" Mr. Yevkurov On February 10, 2012, around him with their rifle butts. They tied up 2012, around seven o'clock in the uniforms. The group had driven up in disinterest in searching for the causal asked the club manager, Murad eleven o'clock in the evening, in the other employees and kept them in morning, a burned car, presumed to be three passenger cars. The assailants relationships that lie at the foundations Izmaylov. He went on to explain that he Karabulak, on ul. Promyslova, near a their sights. One employee who tried to a VAZ 21099, was discovered in the pulled Akhmed out of the car and, of any crime. Though to tell the truth, had phone transcripts of Mr. railroad overpass, four unidentified resist was also beaten. Having placed environs of Berd-Yurt. Fragments of a overpowering him, placed him into without uncovering these relation- Buzurtanov's conversations which (as men armed with automatic rifles the half-conscious Abubakar in hand- burned body were also found at this one of their cars. After this, they van- ships, you will not find the criminals or far as can be gleaned from the Republic abducted 50-year-old Amerkhan cuffs, they carried him to the car. The location. The deceased was identified ished, as in all of the aforementioned the victims — but then again, the task head's not very clear but suggestive Gadaborshev. abductors spent another hour at the by his relatives as Bekkhan Zhukalayev cases, in an unknown direction. The is too laborious. How much effort and words) testify to the abducted man's pump station, after which they drove of Arshty. athlete's car was later found outside of time would be spent on dealing with connections with the insurgents. On February 17, 2012, between six off in an unknown direction.