Respecting human rights in responding to militant attacks in Dagestan

On June 23, armed militants, apparently Islamic State (ISIS) supporters, attacked Dagestan’s two largest cities in the North Caucasus. By the end of the day, a church and a synagogue in Derbent were in flames and a Russian Orthodox priest had been killed. In Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, a church and a police checkpoint near a synagogue were attacked. At least 15 police officers and four local residents were killed and dozens injured.

Experts largely attribute the attacks to failures by security authorities and the federal government to respond to domestic threats in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In November 2023, Russian authorities failed to prevent or adequately respond to anti-Semitic mob attacks in Dagestan and other regions of the North Caucasus. These attacks included the occupation of Makhachkala airport by a mob hunting Israeli passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv; an attack on a hotel after false rumors emerged that it was housing “Israeli refugees,” an arson attack on a Jewish community center under construction, and the use of anti-Semitic language by protesters at two pro-Palestinian rallies.

Russian authorities should ensure an effective investigation to identify and bring to justice those responsible for Sunday’s horrific attacks, while fulfilling their responsibility to protect the population from militant attacks.

But will they do so in a way that respects human rights?

The authorities’ response to the monstrous attack on a concert hall in a Moscow suburb in March, in which militants killed at least 140 people and ISIS claimed responsibility, shows something else. Russian authorities tortured at least two men of Tajik origin held as suspects and shared footage of the torture. Security services responded by carrying out brutal crackdowns on Tajiks and other Central Asian migrants. Many were arbitrarily dismissed, physically intimidated, accompanied by anti-migrant insults and slogans, and xenophobic violence occurred, including destruction of migrants’ property, group beatings, and attacks with pepper spray and knives.

For over two decades, Russian authorities have been battling militant Islamist insurgency in Dagestan, responding with kidnapping-style arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and the displacement of the local population.

In response to this week’s attacks, Russian authorities should live up to their human rights obligations rather than perpetuating a climate of lawlessness and impunity for human rights violations, which risks, among other things, generating sympathy for ISIS and other extremist groups, especially among local youth.