News

Female citizens of Russia who left the Ayn Issa camp during the retreat of the Kurdish Peshmerga forcers are held captive by the Syrian opposition, reports a woman from Northern Caucasus.

Over the past 24 hours, the health status of the human rights defender Ogtai Gyulyalyev has shown positive dynamics, which is considered encouraging by doctors.

A court in Moscow has arrested in absentia Muradi Kavtarashvili, accused of promoting terrorism; according to a source, he is a relative of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.

Amid protests in front of the Georgian Parliament and in the sitting hall, the MOs have approved 14 candidates for the termless service as Judges of the Supreme Court (SC). The NGOs have stated that the SC approved by the Parliament is a threat to justice.

Islam Nukhanov, who was detained after posting a video about rich houses of Ramzan Kadyrov's subordinates, was arrested for three months. YouTube users have demanded to release him.

Almost 20 scientists and cultural figures of Chechnya signed an angry appeal to film director Alexander Sokurov. They find unreasonable his doubts that Ramzan Kadyrov, who participated in battles against the Russian federal troops, is worthy of the Hero of Russia title.

Today, Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of the "New Georgia" Party, and 11 other protesters have been taken to a police station. The detainees are suspected of disorderly conduct and failure to obey to law enforcers. Activists demand not to approve candidates for judges of the Supreme Court (SC) of Georgia and not to deprive opposition MP Nika Meliya of power.

Film director Alexander Sokurov wrote on Facebook that he was saddened by a refusal of President Vladimir Putin to review the status of Hero of Russia, which was awarded to participants on both sides of the war in Chechnya, including Ramzan Kadyrov. Users of social networks found the Alexander Sokurov's statement risky.

Ruslan Alkhanov, Chechen Minister of Internal Affairs, invited the United States to include all Chechen policemen in the US sanctions list. The Chechen Minister's proposal demonstrates his allegiance to Ramzan Kadyrov, who is also under the US sanctions, local residents suggest. Instagram users ironically commented on the sanctions imposed by the US Department of State.

The platform of civil solidarity, which unites about 35 human rights organizations from different countries, has called on for an international investigation into a road traffic accident with Ogtai Gyulyalyev. Azerbaijani activists doubt the investigators' objectivity.

On International Human Rights Day, Ramzan Kadyrov wrote a post on efficient human rights institutions in Chechnya. Social media users left a lot of ironic posts concerning the Chechen leader's message and reminded of the persecution of human rights defenders engaged in activities in the republic.

The use by the head of Chechnya of modern methods of self-promotion in social networks is assessed by experts as a claim for an increase of his political status. Ramzan Kadyrov's participation in humorous video clips is intended to show his progressiveness, Andrei Kozlov, a PR expert, has noted.

The first military campaign in Chechnya had been brewing since 1990, and was carried out without any account of expert estimates; launching a war machine in its worst form cost tens of thousands of human lives, analysts have concluded on the 25th anniversary of the advent of federal troops into Chechnya.

Azerbaijan encroaches on the freedom of speech, lacks high-quality legal help and provides no chances for migrants, says the report by Dunja Mijatović, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe (CoE). The Commissioner is too cautious in her estimates, the PFPA leader has pointed out.

Azerbaijan needs "fundamental reforms" to fulfill its obligations to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights announces.

A quarter of a century ago, the entry of federal troops into Chechnya did not look like the start of a full-scale war, and people expected the conflict to end by agreement of the parties, say residents of the Chechen republic while recalling their deceased relatives and friends and destroyed houses.

In the Kurchaloi District, the police gathered drivers who committed offences and subjected them to a public condemnation with involvement of religious figures. The event was held amid the Ramzan Kadyrov's support for an initiative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to confiscate cars when a driver was repeatedly caught while driving a car in state of alcoholic intoxication.

On December 10, the Southern Military Court sentenced Yakub Ibragimov, a native of Chechnya, to 19 years of imprisonment in a penal colony. According to public prosecutors, the man was trained at a special centre of the "Islamic State".

People detained for theft apologized on the air of the "Grozny" TV Channel. Some Instagram users doubted the sincerity of remorse and tried to associate thefts with the problem of unemployment in Chechnya.

The Azerbaijani Bar Association has launched disciplinary proceedings against Elchin Sadygov. The investigation against the advocate was initiated by Rustam Usubov, the First Deputy General Prosecutor. The campaign against advocates is aimed at preventing their human rights activities, human rights defenders believe.