Residents of Karachay-Cherkessia complain of infringement of their religious freedom

Residents of Khabez district of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia state that policemen regularly come to their houses, carry out searches without explanation of the reason and take them to police department where they are interrogated, their fingerprints are taken and the policemen take written statements from those interrogated that they are not Wahhabis.  

"Young believers are summoned to district police department and if they refuse to go they are detained right in the street, Timur Zhuzhuev, Chairman of non-governmental youth movement of KCR, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. - In the department they make the young people write explanatory notes specifying where they work, whether they get salary, whether they are members of Wahabiite organizations or paramilitary groups. Then their fingerprints and photos are taken and the data is placed into the card-index". 

Chairman of non-governmental youth movement of KCR thinks that such actions of the police form negative attitude towards religious young people in the settlements of the republic. 

"A person who just prays becomes a pariah, - Zhuzhuev continues. - How do thing go in an aul? If the police comes to you for any reason the next day everyone will call you a Wahabiite". 

A resident of the settlement of Koshkhabl, Khabez district of KCR, complains that the policemen have been coming to his home five days running. "I am a believer, I have been professing traditional Islam since my school years, - the man says. - Every month the policemen take written statements that we are not Wahhabis from me and my religious fellow-villagers". 

According to the resident of the settlement, this time he refused to go to district police department which became the reason for "persistent interest" of the personnel of law enforcement bodies. 

"Yesterday they detained my brother in the street instead of me, - the man continues. - I had to go to police not to do harm to my brother and write again that I had nothing to do with Wahabiism". 

The "Caucasian Knot" has yet no comments from law enforcement bodies of Khabez district of KCR concerning this information.