News

The Azerbaijani Court of Appeal has rejected the complaint about the administrative arrest of Natig Isbatov, a reporter of the website "7gun.az". His defence treats the refusal as unjustified and subject to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

An advocate of activist Batraz Gagiev filed an appeal against a court's decision on the activist's arrest. According to the advocate, the court did not take into account the fact that the defendant took care of his minor children.

In Azerbaijan, the authorities decided to uphold restrictions on crossing the country's state borders until May 31 because of the threat of the coronavirus infection spread. Exceptions are made for cargo and freight transportation and charter flights, the Azerbaijani operational headquarters announces.

The Second Western District Military Court found Dagestani blogger Alibek Mirzekhanov guilty of participating in activities of a terrorist organization.

The chairman of the board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" paid three fines, each in the amount of 100,000 roubles, which were imposed on him after the inspection conducted by the FSB Department for Ingushetia. The fines were paid out of the raised donations. Today, the HRC "Memorial" has announced that a complaint about the decisions of the Russian courts on fines will be filed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Today, Georgia has registered new 517 cases of the coronavirus infection. Over 24 hours, more patients have been discharged from hospitals than new cases of infection have been registered.

During the last 24 hours, positions of Azerbaijani troops stationed in the villages on the border with Armenia and in the conflict zone with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) were shelled for 24 times, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated today.

Because of the restrictions imposed by the authorities of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) in connection with the epidemic, minor businesses have to suffer losses and reduce their hired personnel, the entrepreneurs interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert.

At the charity event organized by the Kadyrov Foundation, volunteers handed out bread without wearing medical masks and gloves, Instagram users have emphasized.

The anti-crisis plan, drafted with the aim to help businesses and residents during the pandemic, fails to support several vulnerable social groups, the Centre for Human Rights Education and Monitoring has stated.

Two activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) were detained near the home of Ali Kerimli, the party leader and fined by USD 60 each for violating the quarantine regime. They were punished for trying to contact Kerimli, the PFPA has stated.

Residents of Yerevan have gathered near the government building with a demand to solve the problem of disconnecting utilities for non-payment. Due to epidemic restrictions, local residents are without livelihood, Aik Barsegyan, an activist, has stated.

The death toll from pneumonia in the village of Tebekmakhi in the Akushinsky District of Dagestan has gone up sharply, almost a third of villagers are sick, but there is not enough medicines and qualified medical help, Medjid Medjidov, the head of the village of Tebekmakhi, said in his appeal to the authorities of Dagestan.

Rauf Arashukov, a former senator from Karachay-Cherkessia, his father Raul Arashukov, and former heads of the Centre for Combating Extremism (CCE, also known as Centre "E") and the Investigating Department for Karachay-Cherkessia of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) became involved as defendants in a common criminal case, the defence reported.

An advocate was not allowed to visit Alizamin Salaev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), sentenced for posting a video criticizing a policeman. Defender Elchin Sadygov treats the above refusal in a visit to his client as an interference with his professional activities and a violation of the arrested activist's rights.

Within ten days, Armenia will first minimize and then lift the restrictions on economic activities, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announces. Meanwhile, residents are allowed to go for walks up to one kilometer from their place of residence.

Small shops, petrol stations, and car service stations will be opened providing for compliance with security measures, announces Ramzan Kadyrov. The leader of Chechnya has threatened to seize the property of violators. Local businessmen believe it is risky to resume activities in such conditions.

The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Security (IRFS) and members of the EU's Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) called on the international community not to remain indifferent to human rights violations in Azerbaijan and help stop the persecution of government critics.

Authorities have begun actively using the coronavirus pandemic for putting pressure on independent mass media, says the statement made by the "Syndicate-100" Association of Russian Editions posted today.

42 residents of Chechnya face large fines for violating the self-isolation regime introduced in the republic because of the threat of coronavirus spread.