MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. In the wake of an attack by hooligans against human rights activists and journalists in Ingushetia Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Interior Ministry to look into all circumstances of the incident and make a legal evaluation, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Earlier on Thursday Peskov said the Kremlin was angry over the attack on a bus that was carrying journalists and human rights activists in Ingushetia.
"It was an absolutely outrageous act of hooliganism," he said. "As far as we understand, people’s lives were at risk there - judging by the information that we have.
"We do expect the republic’s law enforcement agencies to take the most effective measures to search for and track down those responsible for the attack in order to properly ensure the security of human rights activists and mass media, those involved in the incident, and everybody else," Peskov said.
Ingushetia is a territory of Russia, so both federal and regional law enforcement agencies should pay attention to this case.
A member of the presidential council for civil society and human rights, chairman of the torture prevention committee Igor Kalyapin on Wednesday broke the news a group of human rights activists and journalists had come under attack on the border between two regions in the North Caucasus.
"At about 19:15 a group of unidentified attackers moving about in three cars attacked a group of human rights activists from the Free Mobile Group and journalists and beat them up. Two mobile phones were stolen. The human rights activists’ vehicle was damaged and set on fire," the Human Rights Council’s website quotes Kalyapin as saying.
About 20 unidentified men attacked the group of human rights campaigners and journalists on the way to Chechnya. Six were injured. Four required medical assistance. The Ingush authorities have opened a criminal case over hooliganism and premeditated destruction or damage of property.