Grozny residents report detentions of young people during Melikov's visit

Power agents conducted mass detentions of young people in central Grozny at the background of the visit to the city of Sergey Melikov, the Russian presidential envoy to the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), townspeople have reported. In his turn, the spokesman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said that the actions were not massive.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Melikov arrived in Grozny on February 18.

After the militants' attack on Grozny on December 4, 2014, residents of Chechnya have been regularly reporting about detentions by power agents of young men with beards and shaved-off moustaches, which is regarded as the main indicator that the man is an adherent of Wahhabism. On February 11, such detentions were conducted in the "Berkat" marketplace.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Grozny residents that another raid with detentions of young men in the above marketplace was held on February 19.

"Power agents surrounded the 'Berkat' and checked young men there – mostly those who wore beards. They detained them and took away," said Raisa, a local resident.

However, the MIA spokesman denied the reports about mass detentions of young men and emphasized: "The point may be about a few detentions, when suspicious guys were checked; and in the case of their attempts to resist, or a need to clarify some circumstances, they could be brought to the police. All the detainees, as a rule, after identification and talks with law enforcers and clergymen, when it came to the young people, imitating Wahhabis by appearance, were set free."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.