Human Rights Center “Memorial” reported that on March 26, 2010 the members of the Shatoy district puppet administration in Chechnya closed a municipal market situated in the village of Borzoy.

At the end of January 2010 administration staff of national traitor Kadirov made individual entrepreneurs move to the territory of the market that was not completely built. Entrepreneurs paid for the market place 50-100 thousand roubles. Under bad weather conditions sellers equipped their shops with the necessary facilities by themselves, some of them piped their workplaces, laid linoleum etc. Shops at the new market started working on February 1st, 2010.

On March 20, the members of the puppet administration fixed the rental rate 500 roubles for the square meter. When people refused to pay it, they started being threatened with closure of the market.

The entrepreneurs appealed to different instances and to Ramzan Kadirov, ringleader of the puppets. As a result, money for the places at the market were returned to the sellers, the rental rate was reduced to 300 roubles, the light was switched on. However, the market did not resume working.

The village of Borzoy is situated in the mountains, far from the roads. There are few workplaces in the village, there are no big organizations or enterprises, where people can get a job. For many residents the market was the only source of income.

Sometimes sellers have to sell on credit because not everyone has money.

As sellers say, they will not be able to pay the fixed rental in consideration of the fact that they have to pay taxes and pay for housing and communal services.

The members of the Shatoy district administration report that they do not have money to asphalt the market’s court, lay on water supply and build a bathroom unit. To do all these they need to draw profit from the market.

On April 1, 2010 the conflict between the Shatoy district administration of collaborator regime in Chechnya and individual entrepreneurs has not been solved yet. The goods being held at the market rotted away. The owners are allowed to carry the products out but not allowed to sell them.

Village residents can not buy food, goods for children and even medicaments because the only drugstore in the village was situated at the territory of the market. To buy all these things they have to go to the district center Shatoy situated in 7 km from Borzoy. There are no buses and fixed-run taxis going from the village. People can get to the district center only on their private cars.

Sellers complain that the food has got spoilt, so their business’ suffer losses; rental rate (300 roubles for square meter) is too high; the puppet administration made them move into the market that had not been completely built; after the entrepreneurs had equipped their shops with the necessary facilities the market was closed.

The entrepreneurs want the pro-Kremlin puppet authorities to take into account these remarks and create conditions for business activity.