Person of the Week: Ella Kesaeva

posted 19 Sept 2016, 05:39 by Rights in Russia   [ updated 19 Sept 2016, 05:42 ]
On 14 September 2016, about 15 people, some in police uniform others in civilian clothes, arrived in three cars at the house of Ella Kesaeva, who is the head of the organization Voice of Beslan. Caucasian Knot, citing Novaya gazeta, reports that the police officers failed to produce their IDs or state the purpose of their visit, but demanded that Ella Kesaeva come out of the house. A relative of Ella Kesaeva told the visitors that Kesaeva was not at home. According to reports, among those people who came to Kesaeva's house were some who had taken part in an attack on the members of Voice of Beslan on 3 September. Caucasian Knot reports that "the relative of Ella Kesaeva was able to identify one of the law enforcers, who signed the protocols of detention of the women involved in a protest action of September 1. Ella Kesaeva intends to file a complaint with the Ministry of Internal Affairs for North Ossetia about the incident..

As Caucasian Knot had reported earlier, on 3 September in Beslan a group of young people attacked Ella Kesaeva, Elena Kostyuchenko (a reporter from Novaya gazeta), and journalist Diana Khachatryan (a reporter from the paper Takie Dela). In the presence of police officers, the attackers poured green paint over the women, seized their mobile phones and fled. A man suspected of involvement in the attack was detained on the same day and fined.

Caucasian Knot also reports, again citing Novaya gazeta, that "in recent days, the female activists of the Voice of Beslan [have been] under surveillance", and "people who are trying to provide legal assistance to members of the Voice of Beslan receive SMS-messages with threats."

Photo: Caucasian Knot

Source:
'Novaya gazeta: men involved in attack on Ella Kesaeva visit her at home,' Caucasian Knot, 15 September 2016
'Ella Kesaeva and female journalists attacked in Beslan (+video),' Caucasian Knot, 3 September 2016
'Two journalists detained in Beslan, Caucasian Knot,' 1 September 2016
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