Magomed Yevloyev
Encyclopedia
Magomed Yakhyаvich Yevloyev (Магомед Яхьявич Евлоев) (1971 - 31 August 2008) was an Ingush
journalist, lawyer, and businessman, and the owner of the news website Ingushetiya.ru
, known for being highly critical of Murat Zyazikov
, the President of Ingushetia
, a federal subject of Russia
bordering Chechnya
. Magomed Yevloyev is not to be confused with the Ingush rebel leader Akhmed Yevloyev, who is also known as Magomed or a 20-year-old also named Magomed Yevloyev who is suspected of being a suicide bomber in the Domodedovo International Airport bombing
.
, Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
(now in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia
).
In 1992, Yevloyev graduated from Saratov
Law Institute (Саратовский Юридический Игститут) and began work as a public procurator
in Ingushetia. He soon became the Deputy Chief Procurator of Malgobek. In 1999, he was accused of complicity in the murder of Suleyman Tsechoyev, who was at that time imprisoned as a kidnapper. Allegedly Yevloyev had signed the permit allowing the murderers to take Tsechoyev from his cell. The accusations were not proven but Yevloyev resigned from his post as a prosecutor.
In 2001, Yevloyev founded the Moscow legal firm Infra-Yur. In 2008, the firm became Infra Holding, a company which oversaw construction, fishing, legal firms, and security bureaus. It also controlled Infra North America, a daughter firm operating in the USA. Yevloyev was the president of this holding.
Also in 2001, Yevloyev created the website "Ingushetia.ru". Originally there was no intention to make an opposition website; Yevloyev planned to host a neutral collection of materials on the history and culture of the Ingush people, without favoring any particular point of view. But he soon found that historical and cultural materials often included explosive political content as well, and the site became a source of political materials, such as information on the Second Chechen War
, counter-terrorist operations, the Ossetian–Ingush conflict, and kidnappings and murders in Ingushetia. Many of these materials were highly critical of Ingushetia President Murat Zyazikov and his government.
In July 2007, the public procurator of Moscow's Kuntsevo municipality initiated a criminal case accusing Yevloyev of "inciting inter-ethnic hatred", though in the end Yevloyev was never indicted for any criminal activities. In October 2007, the Tsechoyev murder case was reopened and Yevloyev's family house in Malgobek
was searched. After the search, Yevloyev's father, Yakhyu Yevloyev, convinced his son to publicly sever all ties with the Ingushetia.ru site, as it appeared to be too dangerous. Since then, the site has been controlled by an editorial committee chaired by Ibragim Kostoyev.
Yevloyev did not, however, completely withdraw from the politics of Ingushetia. He was one of the organizers of the I did not vote campaign, intended to expose mass voter fraud in Ingushetia during the 2008 Russian presidential election
. According to official data, 98% of eligible Ingushetia voters took part in the elections, almost all voting for Dmitry Medvedev
. But Yevloyev alleged that less than half of registered voters had actually participated in the elections, and therefore sought to compile a list of people who could personally guarantee that they did not vote in the election. If the list proved to include more than 2% of Ingushetia's voting registry, it might constitute proof of massive election fraud.
Yevloyev also organized and financed a campaign collecting signatures calling for the removal of Ingushetia President Zyazikov, as well as the restoration of previous Ingushetia president Ruslan Aushev
.
In the beginning of 2008, the office of the Ingushetia public procurator initiated hearings in Kuntsevo Court, demanding that access to the site Ingushetia.ru be restricted. According to the prosecutors, in an interview with Ingushetia businessman Musa Keligov hosted on the site, Keligov directly accused Zyazikov of connections with guerillas. The prosecutors argued that this material constituted libel as well as "public advocacy of extremist activity". In May 2008, the court issued an injunction demanding that Russian providers "limit access to the site by filtering its IP
addresses". In June 2008, the court characterized the site as "extremist" and demanded its closure. The site was not closed. According to Ingushetia.ru's lawyer Kaloy Akhilgov, since the site is registered in the United States, it is therefore outside the jurisdiction of Russian courts. Akhilgov also stated that the decision is technically incorrect because it classifies the site under the heading "mass media" despite the fact that the site is not officially registered as such. Akhilgov added that they intended to appeal the court decision.
and killed while in police custody. Weeks before his killing, it was rumoured that Magomed knew his life was in danger and had planned on seeking political asylum in a European Union
country. Local police claimed that Yevloyev was shot after he had attempted to grab an assault rifle
from one of the police officers in the car. Human rights groups have rejected this account of Yevloyev's death, and the United States State Department has called for an investigation of the killing and for those responsible to be "held to account for what happened". A spokesman for Vladimir Putin
has said that an investigation will take place, but that Yevloyev had resisted arrest.
In July 2008, Human Rights Watch
documented dozens of arbitrary detentions, disappearances, acts of torture
, and extrajudicial executions in Ingushetia.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe denounced Yevloyev's killing as an "assassination" aimed at cracking down on dissent in Ingushetia. The killing also triggered calls for Ingushetia's independence from Russia. The organizer of the protest rally, Magomed Khazibiyev, declared that the Ingush opposition would demand independence, appealing to Russia's recognition
of Georgia
's breakaway Abkhazia
and South Ossetia
as precedent.
The funeral of Yevloyev developed into an anti-government protest, in which, according to organizers, several thousands participated. Early on September 2, police dispersed a sleeping crowd of around 50 men who remained in the main square in Nazran
, Ingushetia's capital city.
His death investigation case is classified as "Murder by negligence" according to the Criminal Code of Russia. Another criminal case for his illegal detention (according to the investigators, police did not have the right to arrest him when they did) was opened in February 2009, but withdrawn in March 2009.
Relatives of Magomed Yevloyev do not trust the official version. In their view, the owner of Ingushetiya.Ru
was murdered intentionally. The family of the oppositioner addressed the European Court on Human Rights with a complaint.
Ingush people
The Ingush are a native ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai . The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language...
journalist, lawyer, and businessman, and the owner of the news website Ingushetiya.ru
Ingushetiya.ru
Ingushetia.org is a non-government Ingush news agency and web site and was owned by Magomed Yevloyev. Its server is located in the United States....
, known for being highly critical of Murat Zyazikov
Murat Zyazikov
Murat Magometovich Zyazikov is the former president of the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. He was born in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Zyazikov was a controversial politician in Ingushetia.- Political Career :...
, the President of Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
, a federal subject of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
bordering Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
. Magomed Yevloyev is not to be confused with the Ingush rebel leader Akhmed Yevloyev, who is also known as Magomed or a 20-year-old also named Magomed Yevloyev who is suspected of being a suicide bomber in the Domodedovo International Airport bombing
Domodedovo International Airport bombing
The 2011 Domodedovo Airport bombing was a suicide attack in the international arrival hall of Moscow's busiest airport, Domodedovo Airport, on January 24, 2011....
.
Life
Magomed Yevloyev was born in the town of MalgobekMalgobek
Malgobek is a town in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located northwest of the republic's capital Magas. Population: Malgobek was founded in 1935 as a settlement for workers at then recently discovered oilfields, on the territory of former Ingush villages of Malgobek-Balka and Chechen-Balka...
, Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, or Chechen–Ingush ASSR ;) was an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR...
(now in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
).
In 1992, Yevloyev graduated from Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
Law Institute (Саратовский Юридический Игститут) and began work as a public procurator
Public procurator
A public procurator is an officer of a state charged with both the investigation and prosecution of crime. The office is a feature of a civil law inquisitorial rather than common law adversarial system of law and is usually found in current or former communist states...
in Ingushetia. He soon became the Deputy Chief Procurator of Malgobek. In 1999, he was accused of complicity in the murder of Suleyman Tsechoyev, who was at that time imprisoned as a kidnapper. Allegedly Yevloyev had signed the permit allowing the murderers to take Tsechoyev from his cell. The accusations were not proven but Yevloyev resigned from his post as a prosecutor.
In 2001, Yevloyev founded the Moscow legal firm Infra-Yur. In 2008, the firm became Infra Holding, a company which oversaw construction, fishing, legal firms, and security bureaus. It also controlled Infra North America, a daughter firm operating in the USA. Yevloyev was the president of this holding.
Also in 2001, Yevloyev created the website "Ingushetia.ru". Originally there was no intention to make an opposition website; Yevloyev planned to host a neutral collection of materials on the history and culture of the Ingush people, without favoring any particular point of view. But he soon found that historical and cultural materials often included explosive political content as well, and the site became a source of political materials, such as information on the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
, counter-terrorist operations, the Ossetian–Ingush conflict, and kidnappings and murders in Ingushetia. Many of these materials were highly critical of Ingushetia President Murat Zyazikov and his government.
In July 2007, the public procurator of Moscow's Kuntsevo municipality initiated a criminal case accusing Yevloyev of "inciting inter-ethnic hatred", though in the end Yevloyev was never indicted for any criminal activities. In October 2007, the Tsechoyev murder case was reopened and Yevloyev's family house in Malgobek
Malgobek
Malgobek is a town in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located northwest of the republic's capital Magas. Population: Malgobek was founded in 1935 as a settlement for workers at then recently discovered oilfields, on the territory of former Ingush villages of Malgobek-Balka and Chechen-Balka...
was searched. After the search, Yevloyev's father, Yakhyu Yevloyev, convinced his son to publicly sever all ties with the Ingushetia.ru site, as it appeared to be too dangerous. Since then, the site has been controlled by an editorial committee chaired by Ibragim Kostoyev.
Yevloyev did not, however, completely withdraw from the politics of Ingushetia. He was one of the organizers of the I did not vote campaign, intended to expose mass voter fraud in Ingushetia during the 2008 Russian presidential election
Russian presidential election, 2008
The Russian Presidential election of 2008, held on March 2, 2008 resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev, whose candidacy was supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties , received 71% of the vote, and defeated...
. According to official data, 98% of eligible Ingushetia voters took part in the elections, almost all voting for Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
. But Yevloyev alleged that less than half of registered voters had actually participated in the elections, and therefore sought to compile a list of people who could personally guarantee that they did not vote in the election. If the list proved to include more than 2% of Ingushetia's voting registry, it might constitute proof of massive election fraud.
Yevloyev also organized and financed a campaign collecting signatures calling for the removal of Ingushetia President Zyazikov, as well as the restoration of previous Ingushetia president Ruslan Aushev
Ruslan Aushev
Ruslan Sultanovich Aushev was the president of Ingushetia from March 1993 to December 2001. He was reportedly the youngest officer in the Soviet army to reach the rank of Lieutenant General. He received the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on May 7, 1982...
.
In the beginning of 2008, the office of the Ingushetia public procurator initiated hearings in Kuntsevo Court, demanding that access to the site Ingushetia.ru be restricted. According to the prosecutors, in an interview with Ingushetia businessman Musa Keligov hosted on the site, Keligov directly accused Zyazikov of connections with guerillas. The prosecutors argued that this material constituted libel as well as "public advocacy of extremist activity". In May 2008, the court issued an injunction demanding that Russian providers "limit access to the site by filtering its IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
addresses". In June 2008, the court characterized the site as "extremist" and demanded its closure. The site was not closed. According to Ingushetia.ru's lawyer Kaloy Akhilgov, since the site is registered in the United States, it is therefore outside the jurisdiction of Russian courts. Akhilgov also stated that the decision is technically incorrect because it classifies the site under the heading "mass media" despite the fact that the site is not officially registered as such. Akhilgov added that they intended to appeal the court decision.
Death
On August 31, 2008, Magomed Yevloyev was shot in the templeTemple (anatomy)
Temple indicates the side of the head behind the eyes. The bone beneath is the temporal bone as well as part of the sphenoid bone.-Anatomy:Cladists classify land vertebrates based on the presence of an upper hole, a lower hole, both, or neither in the cover of dermal bone which formerly covered the...
and killed while in police custody. Weeks before his killing, it was rumoured that Magomed knew his life was in danger and had planned on seeking political asylum in a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
country. Local police claimed that Yevloyev was shot after he had attempted to grab an assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
from one of the police officers in the car. Human rights groups have rejected this account of Yevloyev's death, and the United States State Department has called for an investigation of the killing and for those responsible to be "held to account for what happened". A spokesman for Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
has said that an investigation will take place, but that Yevloyev had resisted arrest.
In July 2008, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
documented dozens of arbitrary detentions, disappearances, acts of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, and extrajudicial executions in Ingushetia.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe denounced Yevloyev's killing as an "assassination" aimed at cracking down on dissent in Ingushetia. The killing also triggered calls for Ingushetia's independence from Russia. The organizer of the protest rally, Magomed Khazibiyev, declared that the Ingush opposition would demand independence, appealing to Russia's recognition
International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Abkhazia and South Ossetia are two breakaway republics in the Caucasus with disputed status over whether they are a part of Georgia or sovereign states. The Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia were recognised following the 2008 South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia, by six...
of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
's breakaway Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
and South Ossetia
South Ossetia
South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....
as precedent.
The funeral of Yevloyev developed into an anti-government protest, in which, according to organizers, several thousands participated. Early on September 2, police dispersed a sleeping crowd of around 50 men who remained in the main square in Nazran
Nazran
Nazran is a town in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital in 1991–2000, until the town of Magas was specially built as the new capital. Nazran is the largest city of the republic: -General:...
, Ingushetia's capital city.
His death investigation case is classified as "Murder by negligence" according to the Criminal Code of Russia. Another criminal case for his illegal detention (according to the investigators, police did not have the right to arrest him when they did) was opened in February 2009, but withdrawn in March 2009.
Court
On December 11, 2009, a court in Ingushetia found Ibragim Yevloyev guilty of unintentionally murdering Magomed Yevloyev. Ibragim Yevloyev was sentenced to two years of a "colony-settlement". In February 2010 his sentence was mitigated to two years of freedom restriction.Relatives of Magomed Yevloyev do not trust the official version. In their view, the owner of Ingushetiya.Ru
Ingushetiya.ru
Ingushetia.org is a non-government Ingush news agency and web site and was owned by Magomed Yevloyev. Its server is located in the United States....
was murdered intentionally. The family of the oppositioner addressed the European Court on Human Rights with a complaint.
External links
Magomed Yevloyev's biography. Kavkaz-Uzel. Ingushetia.org home page (formerly Ingushetiya.ru) Archive of Ingushetiya.ru (Feb 12, 2008)Yevloyev's father: Revenge to killers of my son! It also includes official statement by editor-in-chef of Ingushetiya.ru to Murat ZyazikovMurat Zyazikov
Murat Magometovich Zyazikov is the former president of the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. He was born in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Zyazikov was a controversial politician in Ingushetia.- Political Career :...