June 4th 2003 · Prague Watchdog / Timur Aliyev
 
Night robberies on the rise in Chechnya

Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus – The Chechen Interior Ministry, formed by Chechnya's Moscow-backed authorities at the end of last year, recently recorded a sharp increase in night robberies in the republic.

A shepherd was murdered in the village of Avtury on May 30. Earlier that day he had received his wages and that night strangers broke into his house, killed him and escaped with all the money.

And several companies, housed in a building in the center of Grozny, were burglarized over several nights. On May 31 a computer company on Kabardinskaya Street was broken into, and on June 2 a car company “Voltayr,” whose office is in the same building, was raided. The security guard managed to fight the gunmen off and they fled before the police arrived.

The Chechen Interior Ministry describes these robberies as simply criminal offenses that may well be committed by Chechen rebels. According to them, these roving bands steal food and clothing from the local population. Yet the ministry insists the overall criminal situation has not worsened.

On the other hand, Chechens believe that federal soldiers from military command posts are involved in the robberies. ”It’s no secret that many of them come to Chechnya to make money----but not just by receiving combat wages,“ states Tamara Kalayeva, an independent human rights defender.