First president of Ingushetia supports Magas protesters

Authorities of Ingushetia made a mistake when they resolved the border issue with Chechnya without first discussing it with residents, Ruslan Aushev, the first president of Ingushetia, said addressing the rally in Magas.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a mass protest against changing the Chechen-Ingush border is on in Magas since October 4. Protesters demand a referendum on the border issue and resignation of the head of the republic, Yunus-Bek Evkurov, who signed the border agreement with Chechnya. Protesters stay in the square day and night.

On September 7, the first president of Ingushetia arrived at the rally in Magas and was warmly greeted by protesters, Magomed Mutsolgov, an Ingush rights defender and blogger of the "Caucasian Knot", has reported.

Mr Aushev agreed with the participants of the rally that only people have the right to change borders and territories, Magomed Mutsolgov wrote. "I also agree that the authorities made a huge mistake by doing it all without people's awareness and consent," the blogger wrote in his post.

To solve the problem, Ruslan Aushev suggested to the protesters to set up an organizing committee to contact the republic's authorities.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 7, 2018 at 06:57 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.