« We are shot twice: the first time to kill us, the second time to make us dirty », Denounced Magomed, 30 years old, neighbor of Hamzat Labazanov, 23 years old, shot in the head, on March 17 in broad daylight, in the Cleunay district in Rennes.
Two men in their twenties, known to the courts, were indicted for murder in an organized gang and complicity and imprisoned. On the day of the events, the Rennes prosecutor Philippe Astruc referred to a ” possible settling of accounts on the background of drug trafficking ».
« As soon as something happens with a Chechen, we get this label attached », Regretted Magomed. ” Members of our community are dying and it is we who are accused. »
“Everyone loved him”
Nearly 400 Chechens, coming from all over Brittany, from Le Mans or from Rouen, gathered in Rennes near the building of the victim. They observed a time of prayer and then walked to Carrefour City in front of which Hamzat was killed.
« He was a good person, everyone loved him, trusted him », Described a young Chechen of 23 years with the thin beard.
« A golden little guy, who was never involved in anything illegal », Approved Magomed, 31, logistics engineer, who lives in the same building.
According to his relatives, Hamzat was killed because he wanted to chase drug dealers from the lobby of his building. Read during the rally, a resolution of the Peace and Human Rights association denounced the ” wrong information “And” biased accusations against Chechen refugees ».
Father’s call for calm
The victim’s father called for calm and asked the younger ones to keep their distance from the deal points.
In Strasbourg, around 150 Chechens also gathered at Place de la République, some of whom came from Paris, Nice or Reims. ” We are political refugees who left our homeland to live IN PEACE A sign proclaimed.
« We ourselves are assimilated to traffickers. It’s something that we don’t understand », Denounced Shamil Albakov, spokesperson for the Assembly of Chechens in Europe. ” It is not because we live in working-class neighborhoods that we can be denigrated, or that young people can be killed. ».
“Our origin never ceases to be dragged through the mud”
« We ask that the Chechen origin is not systematically associated with criminality. In the media, the word “Chechen” is consistently associated with violence or crime », Added lawyer Zelimkhan Chavkhalov.
For Ousman Artchakov, spokesperson for the Daymohk association, “ our only fault is that we do not give in to these dealers ».
Several associations sent an open letter to the Minister of the Interior on Saturday. ” Our origin is constantly being dragged through the mud (…) We will not stop fighting for our rights to refute these prejudices », They write in particular.
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