12 days. Such was duration of a hunger strike by 6 citizens of Ingushetia arrested for taking part in the meeting held in Nazran 26 January. Reminding, that action of protest against out-of-court executions and kidnappings in the republic was dispersed ruthlessly by Ingush OMON. Tens of people, including journalists from central and regional media, got detained then. 

As of today, six organizers of that meeting are still kept behind the bars being charged with organizing mass riots. They were arrested in a very methodical way. For example, Maksharip Aushev, a well known in the republic human rights activist, considered to be the main organizer of the celebrated meeting, was being caught during two weeks. In the middle of February a special police unit attacked the home of his brother Musa, with the use of the fire throwers. The sleeping Musa Aushev, his wife and the four children were saved by a miracle from the burnt down house. And Maksharip himself was arrested right after he arrived at the scene.  

Now Maksharip and his companions – Magomed Evloev, Ramazan Kulov, Ismail Barakhoev, Salman Gazdiev and Ruslan Khazbiev – are kept in the pre-trial prison of Nalchik City. The custody term has been prolonged three times during this period, with the petition made by the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor General’s office for the Southern Federal District. Having despaired, the men went on hunger strike on 23 May as a protest against unlawful putting into custody.   

On the 11th day of strike the relatives talked them into ceasing the action of protest considering that two of the detainees began to have health problems. Next day all the six accused began to have meals.   

The relatives advised the inmates that their hunger strike had caused an occasion for holding simultaneous protest meetings in several Ingush towns where one of the demands voiced was that for releasing the political prisoners. 

In relation to the existing situation, six teips where the inmates belong, got assembled. Their demands were supported by the members of the families that are trying to restore an ancient supreme advisory body called “Mehk-Khel” (fittingly, Council of the Country). As the acting chair of the above body Akhmed Kotiev told to a Novaya Gazeta correspondent, a decision has been made to organize actions in Magas, Nazran, Malgobek, Karabulak and Ordjonikidzevskaya. According to Mr. Kotiev, the members of 16 large families will take part in the actions. “We forward three main demands: release of that meeting’s participants, resignation of the standing president Murat Zyazikov and return of Ruslan Aushev to the post of Ingush president” said Mr. Kotiev. The opposition has managed to raise 50,000 signatures in support of return of Ruslan Aushev to the presidential office. However, the process is being hindered actively, lately. Tens of people supporting the idea got fired from the public and municipal offices. Besides, the police brings the vehicles with the pictures of Ruslan Aushev on them to the pounds. For this reason, some meeting’s organizers propose avoiding appeals for return of Ruslan Aushev until all the necessary signatures are raised. “To my mind, organizers are not quite ready yet. Such a meeting must be last in Ingushetia in the sense that the previous regime must leave after it. For that we need to show them how many signatures we have raised. And now it’s not enough. So the next meeting might end up in same failure like it was before” considers Magomed Khazbiev, an organizer of the coming meeting and a brother of one of those detained.       

So it’s not clear whether the meeting will take place. With 5 advisory notes sent officially to the republican government no response has been received yet. In the meanwhile, the prosecutor’s office has already announced the future meeting of the opposition to be unlawful.