Ingush Constitutional Court strikes down controversial border deal with Chechnya

Ingushetia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a law codifying a controversial border agreement with Chechnya is unconstitutional. The court decided that the law, signed by Republic head Yunus-bek Yevkurov, violates three articles of the Ingush Constitution, which says “power belongs to the people,” requires any border changes to take into account public opinion, and obligates the state to preserve the republic's territorial integrity.

Ingushetia’s Constitutional Court says the law formalizing the new border deal with Chechnya was adopted without a referendum, and therefore “has no legal consequences for law enforcement, organizations, or Ingush citizens.”

Speaking to the newspaper Kommersant, however, sources close to the Yevkurov administration dismissed the Constitutional Court’s ruling, arguing that the issue is “beyond the court’s competence.”

• The leaders of Chechnya and Ingushetia publicly agreed to exchange some borderlands on September 26. The Ingush parliament confirmed the deal on October 4, leading to sustained, widespread protests.