Villagers complain about arbitrariness of local government officials

Residents of the village of Psychokh, Kabardino-Balkaria's Baksan district, turned to the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center on June 11. The fact they stated orally concerns actions of Khachim Mamkhegov, head of the village administration. Gumar Tkhamokov, a 47-year-old resident of the village, who is a disabled man of the second group, came to Mr Mamkhegov's office in the evening of June 1 to ask why water supply had been cut off for such a long time. In two hours, he was taken from Khachim Mamkhegov's office with a skull injury and a rib fracture. The head of the village administration explained him the lack of water in such a way. The Psychokh residents informed that criminal procedures had not been instituted against Mr Mamkhegov and he had not even been dismissed.

This instance is not single, said director of the Human Rights Center Valery Khatazhukov. Similar incidents occurred in other villages. They have not become known as people fear of and do not believe law enforcement agencies. Such things are possible because local authorities are not elected by people, as it has to be under the law of the Russian Federation, but appointed by higher authorities, Mr Khatazhukov holds. "They don't depend on people at all and do what they want to," he said.