Maksharip Magometovich Aushev (Russian: Макшарип Магометович Аушев; 16 February 1966 – 25 October 2009) was an Ingush businessman and opposition leader[3] in the Republic of Ingushetia, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. Aushev had taken over the opposition website, Ingushetia.org, after its owner, Magomed Yevloyev, a vocal critic of the Ingush government, was shot and killed while in police custody.[4]
Maksharip Magometovich Aushev | |
|---|---|
| Макшарип Магометович Аушев | |
| Born | 16 February 1966[1] |
| Died | 25 October 2009 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Shot dead by gunmen[2] |
| Resting place | Surkhakhi |
| Occupation(s) | political activist (opposition), businessman |
Biography
editAushev was a businessman and a member of a prominent Ingushetian family.[5] In 2007, Aushev's son and nephew were both kidnapped. He blamed Ingush security forces under the control of then-President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov for the abductions.[5] Aushev organized protests against the security forces and the Zyazikov government.[5]
In 2008, journalist Magomed Yevloyev, the owner of Ingushetia.org and a critic of the Zyazikov government, was shot and killed while in police custody. Aushev personally took over ownership of Ingushetia.org following Yevloyev's death.[5]
The Russian government removed Zyazikov in October 2008 and installed Yunus-Bek Yevkurov as president.[5] Yevkurov offered dissidents in Ingushetia a certain amount of protection from politically motivated attacks.[5] Aushev largely supported Yevkurov policies towards the opposition, and withdrew from his most vocal opposition to the government since Yevkurov's installation.[4] Aushev accepted a position on a human rights council set up by the ombudsman of Russia's federal government.[5] However, he remained a vocal critic of former President Zyazikov and his relatives, as well as the human rights violations allegedly committed by Russian special forces in Ingushetia and Chechnya.[5]
Aushev survived an attempted kidnapping in September 2009.[5] In an interview with an Australian television network, he revealed that he had “very strong information that I was going to be killed” during the failed abduction.[5]
On 25 October 2009, Aushev was shot and killed on the spot when gunmen attacked his car on a road near Nalchik in the neighboring Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.[5] He was buried in the Ingush village of Surkhakhi.[4]
Post-death
editOn 8 December 2009, Aushev was posthumously awarded the Russian Federation's human rights ombudsman's medal “Спешите делать добро” (Speshite delat dobro).[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Макшарип Аушев. Краткая биография. Ингушетия.Org (Ингушетия.Ru when first published) (in Russian). 17 March 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Родственница Аушева с ранениями доставлена в больницу. Ингушетия.Org (in Russian). 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ Leading Ingush activist shot dead. BBC News, 25 October 2009
- ^ a b c Barry, Ellen (26 October 2009). "Activist Killing Said to Be Tied to the Police". New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barry, Ellen (25 October 2009). "Ingushetia Opposition Figure Is Shot Dead in Car". New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ Сообщение пресс-службы Уполномоченного по правам человека в Российской Федерации. Уполномоченный по правам человека в Российской Федерации (in Russian). 9 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.[permanent dead link]