Maksim Shevchenko about Tatarstan prisoner at Guanatanamo: ‘He does not want to return to Russia — he is fighting tooth and nail’
The last Russian prisoner of the world-famous prison at Guantanamo is going to be released but they can't decide where to send him
The United States took the decision to release the last Russian prisoner from the world famous prison at Guantanamo. However, as it turned out, the native of Naberezhnye Chelny, Ravil Mingazov, is in no hurry to return to the native land — his attorneys ask to move his ward not to Russia but to Britain, where the family of Mingazov is living now. The well-known journalist and orientalist Maksim Shevchenko in an interview to Realnoe Vremya said that he links the behavior of the Russian with the concerns about repression in Russia, and cited the example of the fate of the other Russian Guantanamo detainees.
'Low-level fighter'
On 26 June, it became known that U.S. authorities confirmed the release of the native of Naberezhnye Chelny, Ravil Mingazov, the last out of eight Russian prisoners (according to Interfax, nine Russian citizens were imprisoned in the base) imprisoned at Guantanamo in Cuba. Mingazov was there since it was founded in 2002. According to The Associated Press, the notice that he can be released was given on Monday. The decision was taken after the Periodic Review Board at the Obama administration concluded that Mingazov did not pose such a risk for countries: allegedly he was a 'low-level fighter'. The attorney informed the prisoner, who spent 14 years in prison without trial, about the decision by video-teleconference from the office in Washington.
The attorney Gary Thompson told that the Russian planned a celebratory dinner with other prisoners at Guantanamo. 'It was emotional. We are still just in a state of disbelief,' Thompson said. 'It's been 14 years that Ravil has been imprisoned without charges. It's an amazing day.'
According to Maksim Shevchenko, a journalist and a member of the Council on human rights under the President of the Russian Federation, the US position in relation to the citizen of Russia, who spent without trial in their jail since 2002, looks strange.
'I do not understand the position of the USA. Why keeping for 14 years a human being in prison if he's innocent? I know that they carried out experiments there over the Muslims, studied the psycho-type, psychology, mentality. As we were told by Guantanamo prisoners, they were injected with psychotropic drugs, psychologists studied them like animals.'
'He does not believe in justice of the Russian justice system, unfortunately'
Ravil Mingazov lived in Naberezhnye Chelny in the 1990s and served in a military unit of EMERCOM of Russia in the Noviy village. In 1999, according to Tatar-Inform, went on vacation, from where he did not return. In February of 2000, Mingazov moved with his family for permanent residence to Tajikistan and after 2 months sent his family back without explanation. According to some data, in the same year, he illegally crossed the border with Pakistan. In March of 2002, he was detained near the city of Faisalabad. He had a notebook of recipes of explosive mixtures with him. Mingazov explained that a friend asked him to rewrite with beautiful handwriting. After interrogation by CIA officers he was tranferred to Guantanamo.
In 2002, the Russian government criticized the imprisonment of Mingazov and said that he must be returned home. Later, there were several attempts to rescue the citizen of Tatarstan. However, as The Associated Press reported with reference to Pentagon, the prisoner did not want to return to Russia due to the fears facing criminal charges. Mingazov told officials that he left Russia because of the attitude towards Muslims. In 2004, the Russian government achieved the extradition to homeland of 7 out of 8 prisoners — Ravil Mingazov refused to return, citing the strong depletion.
After the report of the release of the prisoner his attorneys asked to take him to Nottingham (the UK), where his ex-wife and son, allegedly received political asylum, are living now. However, at the moment there is no information about when Mingazov will be released and where he will be taken. According to Maksim Shevchenko, Ravil Mingazov does not want to return to Russia because he's afraid of repeating the fate of the other Russian Guantanamo detainees.
'Knowing the fate of the rest Guantanamo prisoners, he does not want to return to Russia — he is fighting tooth and nail. Ishmuratov went to prison, Rasul Kudaev got a life sentence for no reason. Everyone underwent torture here, everyone, as they say, then were 'pressed' and scapegoated – no one could live a normal life. He does not believe in the justice of the Russian justice system, unfortunately. This is his personal civil position. He has a right to not want to return home, he fears that he will be discriminated and be used in some games.'
Continuing to talk about the situation of Mingazov, Shevchenko notes that if Tatarstan guarantees a prisoner that he will be treated fully as a citizen, he may come back.
'I believe that it is possible to return a person and make him an example of positive prevention — to guarantee a quiet stay, peace, security, to be a Muslim. Not to 'press' him and not use him as a material for promotion of the operational affairs, as it happens.'
'In the 1990s there was an absolute bacchanalia'
Ravil Mingazov is not the only guantanamo detainee from Tatarstan. Earlier in this same prison there was another native of Naberezhnye Chelny — Airat Vakhitov, who currently resides in Turkey and was suspected of link with the organizers of the terrorist attack in Istanbul. He, unlike Mingazov, was not just 'got involved in radical ideas', but in the 1990s was the Imam of the mosque Tauba, the ministers of which were suspected of planting of Salafi views to the population.
First Deputy Chairman of MRB RT Rustam hazrat Batrov to the question whether the return of former prisoners to their homeland, if this happens, may affect the ideological attitudes replied that now the Internet has more influence han a certain person. At the same time, speaking about combating the spread of Salafi views in general, Batrov noted that now in Naberezhnye Chelny in the part of the spiritual administration the mess has been sorted out.
'In general, the situation in the last two-three years has been broken — it has changed for the better. It is clear that in the 1990s, when there was an absolute bacchanalia and this field was not regulated at all, various foreign missionaries used to come, preached other religious interpretations, which often acquired radical colour. But in recent years, in part of the spiritual administration the mess has been sorted out. Many religious leaders who do not meet the statutory requirements of the MRB RT were displaced from the posts. This largely has changed the situation. But we cannot say that all problems have been solved — now we have the Internet, where they are also trying to influence the minds and sentiments of people.'