South Ossetia: journalist dragged to president's office over Facebook comment
Journalist abducted in South Ossetia
In South Ossetia, journalist and member of the opposition party “United Ossetia,” Alexander Kelekhsaev, claims he was beaten and abducted by security officers over a “lightly ironic comment, possibly with sarcasm” about rising utility tariffs, which he posted on Facebook.
Kelekhsaev was ultimately brought to the office of South Ossetian President Alan Gagloyev, who conducted what he described as an “educational conversation.”
What the victim says
On January 1, the South Ossetian government raised utility tariffs. In response, Alexander Kelekhsaev made a post that ironically referenced lines from a Soviet song and classic Russian literature.
According to Kelekhsaev, events unfolded as follows:
Half an hour after publishing the post, two state security officers arrived at his home, demanding he accompany them to answer some questions. When Kelekhsaev refused, he was forcibly shoved into a car and taken directly to President Gagloyev’s office “barefoot and in a disheveled state.”
Kelekhsaev says the president expressed dissatisfaction with his post but made an effort to remain composed and spoke to him respectfully.
“Gagloyev complained that an information war is being waged against him and that he’s tired of it… I told him I understand, but how justifiable is it to abduct someone from their own home over a social media comment? I see this as pressure being exerted on the ‘United Ossetia’ party.
I never insult anyone in my posts or comments. I don’t attack individuals. I only comment on actions, events, or phenomena. Yet, I was dragged out of my home like a repeat offender, like a criminal,” said Alexander Kelekhsaev.
Ultimately, he has no complaints about the president himself but does take issue with the presidential security team and their methods.
“The boomerang effect”
The leader of the “United Ossetia” party, Atsamaz Bibilov, who himself was once a state security officer, stated that security personnel would never act on their own initiative and that all their actions are carried out on the president’s orders. According to Bibilov, since coming to power, Alan Gagloyev has been using state security to settle scores with dissenters.
“If anyone in power thinks that such methods will intimidate the people of South Ossetia, they are deeply mistaken. We won’t allow it. We, the ‘United Ossetia’ party, will continue to stand for justice, protect the interests of our people, and fight for their rights,” vowed Atsamaz Bibilov.
However, supporters of Alan Gagloyev were quick to recall a scandal from four years ago in which “United Ossetia” itself played the role of the “bad guys.”
In 2021, when “United Ossetia” was still in power, a high-ranking official, Sergei Kabisov, slapped Vladikavkaz journalist Ruslan Totrov in the face.
Interestingly, Alexander Kelekhsaev sided with the official at the time, showing no journalistic solidarity with Totrov. Now, some believe that this incident has come back to haunt Kelekhsaev like a boomerang.
Ruslan Totrov, however, proved to be less resentful and released a video statement expressing his suppport for Kelekhsaev:
A different outcome
Ruslan Totrov, in his case, managed to achieve justice—his case reached the courts in North Ossetia, and the heavy-handed official, Sergei Kabisov, was fined 40,000 roubles [around $390] for “obstructing the professional activities of a journalist using violence.”
However, the circumstances were different then: North Ossetia is part of the Russian Federation, meaning the South Ossetian official assaulted a Russian journalist. It’s far from certain that the General Prosecutor’s Office of South Ossetia will show the same level of resolve as their colleagues in North Ossetia.
For now, the South Ossetian Prosecutor’s Office has only confirmed that it has received a statement from Alexander Kelekhsaev, in which he describes the incident as an abduction.
Toponyms, terminology, views and opinions expressed by the author are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of JAMnews or any employees thereof. JAMnews reserves the right to delete comments it considers to be offensive, inflammatory, threatening or otherwise unacceptable.
