Dagestani residents outraged by detention of activist Rabadanov

Residents of Dagestan are outraged by the detention of activist Ramazan Rabadanov, who spoke in defence of the defendants in the case on riots at the Makhachkala airport.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that while staying in the special military operation zone, a son of Ramazan Rabadanov recorded a video appeal to President Putin to take control over the situation.

Shamil Khadulaev, the head of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Dagestan, reported that on November 6, activist Ramazan Rabadanov was detained. The activist was going to leave for the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories to attend trials in the “airport case.” Ramazan Rabadanov claimed that someone approached him and planted a grenade to his jacket’s pocket.

The head of the Dagestani Public Oversight Commission noted that on November 7, he received “more than two hundred calls” and that “the entire public of Dagestan was outraged by the news of the detention” of Ramazan Rabadanov, since he is “a very respected person in Dagestan.”

“Many people, including me, grew up watching his videos and materials,” Shamil Khadulaev said.

He called the report about firearms and a grenade found as allegedly stored by Ramzan Rabadanov “complete fiction.”

The head of the Dagestani Public Oversight Commission confirmed that Ramazan Rabadanov was providing assistance to the defendants in the cases on riots at the “Uytash” airport in Makhachkala.

“It is unacceptable that in a democratic country, grenades can be planted to people, especially such important activists,” wrote on his Telegram channel lawyer from Makhachkala Arsen Magomedov, an activist of the “Gorod Nasz” (City is Ours) movement.

“Ramazan is one of the few people who are at least somehow trying to protect the rights of natives of Dagestan ... Now he has been arrested, and it turns out that even the most careful defence of the rights of Dagestanis is impossible,” stated an author of the appeal posted on Telegram channel of the Dagestani weekly newspaper “Chernovik” (Rough Draft).

Ramazan Rabadanov has recently been known for his human rights initiatives. In particular, he was involved in organizing legal and informational assistance to the defendants in the “airport case.”