Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of April 15-21

Terror act in Boston, where Chechen natives are suspected as organizers; adoption of the law to elect head of Dagestan by the parliament; confrontation of power agents at the border of Ingushetia and Chechnya; hunger strike of life convicts in Azerbaijan; transfer to the Alabin District Court of the Krasnodar Territory of the case on Krymsk flood; resignation and reinstatement of Volgograd Mayor, - look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of April 15-21, 2013, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Natives of Chechnya suspected of committing terror act at Boston Marathon

On April 15, near the finish line of the marathon race held in the American city of Boston, a double explosion was triggered, killing three and wounding dozens of other persons. The police said that the brothers Tamerlan, 26, and Johar, 19, Tsarnaev, natives of Chechnya, were suspected of organizing the terror act. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed on April 19 in a special operation; and on April 20, in a Boston suburb, Johar Tsarnaev was detained; his search and capture lasted for about 15 hours, after which he was hospitalized in critical condition.

The US special services engaged in the inquiry into the terror act in Boston, are considering the association of the Tsarnaev brothers with one of terrorist organizations as a priority. In particular, they check possible links of Tamerlan Tsarnaev with the leader of the "Imarat Kavkaz" Dokku Umarov.

Anzor Tsarnaev, the guys' father, who has been living for a couple of years already in Dagestan, believes that his sons had nothing to do with the tragic events on April 15 in Boston. In his opinion, his children had been just set up. Their mother Zubeydat Tsarnaeva, same as their uncle and aunt Ruslan and Maret Tsarnaev said that the brothers were not adherents of the radical Islam.

Dagestan local MPs decide to elect republic head themselves

On April 18, in Makhachkala, a session of the People's Assembly decided on the form of holding the election of the head of the republic, by adopting - by the majority of votes - the bills "On Amending the Constitution of the Republic of Dagestan" and "On Electing Head of the Republic of Dagestan by Deputies of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan", under which the above head will be elected by the Parliament.

The supporters of this election form, the MPs from the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Party), the "Right-Wing Cause" and "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) Parties among them, pointed to the constitutional nature of the made decision; while the MPs from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and "Patriots of Russia" voted against, favouring the nationwide election of the head of the republic.

Conflict of power agents took place on Ingush-Chechen border

On April 18, some 300 power agents of Chechnya entered the Ingush village of Arshty. They faced opposition of their Ingush counterparts, six of whom received various gravity traumas. The Security Council of Ingushetia demanded a service check; and the issue of opening a criminal case was raised. The above Council believes that the real aim of the visit of the Chechen power agents to Arshty was an attempt to hold a rally in the context of the territorial dispute of the republics; therefore, they decided to replace a temporary (daytime) police post on the road leading to the village for a day-and-night stationary.

On the other hand, Chechnya denies that the special operation had to do with the territorial dispute. A high-ranking source from the Chechen law enforcement bodies said that that the republic's power agents tried to conduct an operation in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia aimed to catch the leader of the Caucasian armed underground Dokku Umarov; however, because of the actions of the Ingush party the secret operation was disrupted.

In Azerbaijan, life convicts go to hunger strike seeking revision of their cases

On April 18, in Azerbaijan, 19 inmates, serving their life imprisonments in the Gobustan Prison, went on hunger strike demanding to reconsider their cases. In their appeal to Elmira Suleimanova, Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan they state that some time ago they had been sentenced to life imprisonment; however, after the cancellation of the death penalty in the country, they "were illegally sentenced to life imprisonment." The appeal also notes that as on February 10, 1998, the prison kept 128 death penalty convicts; today, 77 of them are alive; many of them are sick and over 70, and even 80 years old, invalids, and completely blind inmates.

A source from the office of the Ombudsperson said that the prisoners' demand are being studied; while another source from the country's Penitentiary Service has confirmed the fact of the hunger strike and said that the above inmates have no health problems. He noted that life prisoners "are periodically hunger-striking in order to draw attention to their demands."

Case on Krymsk flood to be considered by Abinsk District Court

On April 17, the Krasnodar Territorial Court ruled to transfer the case against the four officials, accused of negligence that had resulted in citizens' deaths by inadvertency during the flood in last June in Krymsk, to the Abinsk District Court. It was decided after on April 9, at the court session, Tatiana Ulanovskaya, Judge of the Krymsk District Court, announced her self-disqualification. Also, in the course of a preliminary hearing, all the challenges to the members of the Krymsk District Court declared by the prosecutor's office were satisfied.

Mayor of Volgograd decides to resign and then recalls his application

On April 15, the 66-year-old Mayor of Volgograd Valery Vasilkov, elected to the post by City Duma Deputies on April 27, 2012, submitted an own-will resignation application; however, on April 16 this year, it became known that Mr Vasilkov had decided to go on working as the Mayor and recalled his application.