Russia Group: Ingushetia abuses 'may spark war'

Article posted 9/23/08

This article really got my attention because it goes along with what our ending group project will be focusing on. The government in Russia is very restrictive on their press, that they will go to great measures to control it.
On Aug. 31, Magomed Yevloyev, a prominent local human rights journalist, was arrested after unboarding a plane, which also carried the president of Ingushetiya, Murat Zyazikov, who ordered the arrest. Yevloyev was then shot inside the police car, by accident according to authorities. They stated he was shot while trying to take the gun from an officer. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Yevloyev ran the website ingushetiya.ru, a major source of information in the region, and was a prominent opponent of the pro-Kremlin president Zyazikov.
Yevloyev’s death is likely to further stir up more problems in Ingushetia, which has been plagued by frequent raids and ambushes against federal forces and local authorities. Human rights groups have not accepted 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."
This article interested me not only because of the unrighteous killing of a journalist, but also what something like this can cause to a country. Most of us take for granted the freedoms we have, especially our ability of free press and speech. This country may be entering into another war because of this.

By Ashlee Newcomb