Djabiev's relatives refuse to stop protest in Tskhinvali

For the fourth day in a row, the central Tskhinvali sees the endless protest action held by relatives of Inal Djabiev, who died during interrogation at the South-Ossetian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Law enforcers did not allow setting up a tent in the square; they hamper with bringing fuel for the kerosene heater, and prohibit the nearby cafés and shops to sell food to the protesters, but the latter stay in the square.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since December 4, relatives of Inal Djabiev, including his widow Oksana Sotieva, have been holding a protest action in the central square of Tskhinvali. Policemen did not let participants of the round-the-clock protest action in the centre of Tskhinvali buy hot drinks and prevented them from setting up a tent, Oksana Sotieva complained on December 6.

On December 7, in Tskhinvali, in Theatre Square, Inal Djabiev's relatives continued their protest action, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

For the fourth day, in the open air, from 30 to 100 people are gathering; apart from Djabiev's relatives, there are also their neighbours, friends and ordinary townspeople who support the protesters and believe that "Inal Djabiev was beaten to death by MIA employees."

"As an MP and as a citizen of my country, I share the grief of the Djabiev family and believe that all those guilty of this crime should be justly punished; and the investigation of this crime should be as objective as possible," said MP Zita Besaeva, who came to support Djabiev's relatives.

In the evening on December 7, law enforcers did not allow to bring a natural gas cylinder to the square, which the protesters needed to warm up.

"In Ossetians' culture and customs, a woman in mourning is equated to something inviolable. And what do we see today? Employees in uniform are pulling out a tent from the mother in mourning; she is not allowed to take a cup of coffee from the coffee machine. This, you know, is beyond good and evil. We will be with this family as long as necessary," one of the protesters told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 8, 2020 at 03:21 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.