A resident of Kabardino-Balkaria asks the president of the republic to protect Muslims from police brutality

Ruslan Karabashev, a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, sent a letter to the President of Kabardino-Balkaria asking him to protect him from law enforcement harassment.

R. Karabashev is regularly called by a district police officer who controls his movements. Since 2006, Karabashev's house has been searched twice. Several times he was taken to the Organized Crime Control Department, where he was photographed, fingerprinted and asked for an explanation about visiting the mosque and performing namaz.

"When my wife and mother asked the district police officer to help deregister me, he replied: 'Let them stop praying.' The only reason for my persecution is that I am a believer," the letter says .

According to R. Karabashev, the police are also pursuing his work partner, although he does not perform namaz. The author of the letter asks the head of the republic to protect him from the arbitrariness of the security forces. A copy of the letter was sent to the Republican Human Rights Center and the International Human Rights Society "Memorial".

Sources

• A Muslim asks the President of Kabardino-Balkaria for protection from harassment // Caucasian knot. 2007. June 5.