A hundred members of the Chechen community of Vienna, repulsed by the Saturday murder in Austria of an opponent of the Grozny regime, gathered Tuesday near the Russian embassy to denounce a " political crime " implying the authorities from Moscow, AFP noted.
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For the demonstrators, the death of Mamikhan Oumarov, refugee in Austria under the name of Martin Beck, has " a political motivation ", they affirmed in a statement read in public. Behind a black banner asking " Who will be next? They demanded that " the security of all Chechen political refugees " be ensured . " Terrorist poutine," chanted participants.
The 43-year-old man found dead by gunfire Saturday night near Vienna had become a critical voice towards the Chechen regime. Settled in Austria since 2005, in recent months he has been running a very offensive video blog against the regime of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.
"C onflicts from abroad imported "
Two Russian nationals from Chechnya were arrested by the Austrian authorities and placed in pre-trial detention within hours of the murder. The investigation was entrusted to the Lower Austria Security and Counterterrorism Office (LVT), which is still seeking to determine the motive for the crime. The death comes against a background of growing concern for the safety of Chechen dissidents in exile.
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The Austrian government of the conservative chancellor Sebastian Kurz wanted " all the light to be shed ". " It is too common for conflicts from abroad to be imported into Austria, " said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer on Tuesday. Austria has traditionally taken care of its relations with Russia.
The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta described the victim as a " personal enemy " of the Chechen president. A former police officer in Chechnya, Mamikhan Oumarov had obtained refugee status in Austria which he risked being withdrawn, thus incurring expulsion, due to several crimes. His dissident journey would have led him to collaborate in several investigations abroad on cases involving Russia.