Deceased Inmate’s Brother Arrested in Tskhinvali

The Kremlin-backed authorities in Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia detained Atsamaz Jabiev, brother of recently deceased young inmate Inal Jabiev, over “extortion with the use of violence,” RES news agency reported.

The detention of Astamaz Jabiev on December 19 came amid third week of resumed street protests in Tskhinvali organized by the Jabiev family seeking justice over the alleged torture death of his twin brother, 28-year-old inmate Inal Jabiev in late August. The latter was detained on attempted murder of the occupied region’s then interior minister Igor Naniev.

The interior ministry of the occupied region stated that Atsamaz Jabiev, currently being held in a temporary detention cell, “used violence against a 45-years old citizen” a day before of his arrest in Tskhinvali.

He was previously persecuted for “publicly insulting the Tskhinvali authorities” earlier in December, however, the the South Ossetian ‘prosecutor general’s office’ released Astamaz Jabiev after he deliberately appeared at the office and “made explanations.”

Ekho Kavkaza of the RFE/RL quoted Oksana Sotyeva, widow of Inal Jabiev as saying that South Ossetian leader Anatoly Bibilov himself called her brother-in-law, imprisoned Atsamaz Jabiev, demanding the Jabiev family to quit the protest in exchange for closing the criminal case against the latter.

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The high-profile death case of Inal Jabiev has shaken Russian-occupied region since late August. The reports about his torture and passing, caused a wave of large protests in central Tskhinvali in August, which led to the dismissal of the region’s ‘government’ by Anatoly Bibilov, preceded by resignation notice of ‘prime minister’ Erik Pukhaev.

Bibilov himself, and “prosecutor general” Uruzmag Jagaev retained power despite calls for by protesters for their resignation.

Although seven suspects – staff members of the ‘interior ministry’ – were detained over the death of the young inmate, the Jabiev family resumed the ‘unauthorized’ protests in some three weeks ago in early December, vowing to continue protest unless the demands of fair investigation and resignation of “prosecutor general” are met.

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