Briefs

– Journalist Beaten in Ingushetia

A journalist who works in Ingushetia for the Russian weekly newspaper Argumenty i Fakty was severely beaten on November 25, just a day after police violently broke up an opposition demonstration in Nazran, Kavkazky Uzel reported on December 6. Svetlana Izoteva was beaten unconscious by unknown attackers at the entranceway to her apartment building in the city of Malgobek. According to the independent Ingushetiya.ru website, the attackers shouted: “Who did you get in touch with?!” After the attack, an unknown person called Izoteva and warned her that she would be murdered if she reported the attack to the police. Three journalists with REN-TV and Oleg Orlov of the Memorial human rights group were abducted and beaten by masked assailants just hours before the November 24 protest in Nazran (Chechnya Weekly, November 29).

– Chechnya has Russia’s Highest Unemployment Rate

Chechnya and Ingushetia have the highest rates of unemployment in Russia, the Rosbalt news agency reported on December 5, citing Prime-Tass. According to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), Chechnya’s unemployment rate is 61.5 percent while Ingushetia’s is 52.6 percent. Other republics of the North Caucasus- Dagestan, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria also have high unemployment rates, ranging from 19-21 percent.