MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax) - The Chechen administration has criticized the opinion of Reporters without Borders' Johann Bihr that the attacks on journalists and human rights activists in Ingushetia bore a relation to statements of Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov.
"Bihr's claims demonstrate that he is not aware of the situation and does not possess reliable information, which is why he says absurd things in a harsh and irresponsible manner," the Chechnya head's press secretary Alvi Karimov told Interfax.
Bihr, a representative of Reporters without Borders, told Kommersant that "loud statements of the Chechnya head against his critics" preceded the incidents involving journalists and representatives of the Committee against Torture.
The press secretary recommended that Bihr "abstain from such unfounded allegations, which bear no relation to the root of the matter."
"Chechnya is systematically visited by journalists from all over the world. Absolutely no one hinders the fulfillment of their professional duties. The statement of Mr. Bihr does not help establish the truth, it is politicized and continues the Western policy of spreading lies and slander about the Chechnya head," Karimov said.
"No incidents involving journalists and human rights activists have been registered in the territory of Chechnya over the past day," he said.
"Reporters without Borders did nothing when gangs of international terrorists abducted and shot dead journalists in Chechnya. Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov put a lid on that. Probably, Bihr and his colleagues do not like it," Karimov said.
A group of human rights activists and Russian and foreign journalists was attacked on the border between Ingushetia and Chechnya. Several persons suffered injuries and were hospitalized.
Later on, Dmitry Utukin, a member of the Committee against Torture, reported an attack on the human rights activists' headquarters in Karabulak, Ingushetia, in his account on Twitter.