Activists warn gov’t for Chechen attacks
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The killing of Chechen leaders last month in Istanbul staged protests. DHA photo.
Activists are urging politicians to take seriously the recent attacks on a former Chechen Shariah judge living in exile in Istanbul. More attacks can be expected unless the government takes measures, according to the İMKANDER aid organization.
“Fear has risen among Chechen people and more incidents may occur,” head of İMKANDER, Murat Özer, told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday. “Neither the Interior Ministry nor the Prime Ministry have taken a resolute stance due to the incidents.”
Last month three Chechens, Musaevi Berkkhazh, Rustam Altemirol and Zavrbek Amriev, were killed in Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu district by a man with a firearm with a silencer. Following the killings, an armed man allegedly tried to shoot Shemseddin Batukayev, the former head of Shariah courts in the Caucasus republic, on Oct. 8 at his house.
President of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov assured the world there was no ongoing problem in this matter and that he would kill every former Chechen militant, during a live state television show.
“In the meantime more than 2,000 political migrants in Turkey need the Turkish state’s protection,” Özer said. “The government cannot say they will not let anyone die and bring those responsible to justice,” Özer said, urging both the government and those responsible to make a statement on the issue.
Emphasizing that the lack of care by the Turkish state gave poise to the assassins supported by Russia, Özer said they even entered Batukayev’s home.
On Saturday, a 26-year-old Chechen allegedly drew a gun equipped with a silencer, but shooting was prevented by two men, according to the Doğan news agency (DHA). However the suspect denied the accusations during testimony and said another man gave him the weapon and asked him to hold it for a while.
Another three suspects were taken to an Istanbul police station also denied the accusations. Two were later released