News

Azerbaijani kick-boxer Anar Suleimanov is arrested for 20 days for beating his wife. Domestic violence against women is widespread, and recently the attitude of the police towards the problem has changed, notes Mekhriban Zeinalova, the head of the NGO "Clean World". Every year 30-40 victims of domestic violence seek help, reports Novella Djafaroglu, the head of the Association for the Protection of Women's Rights.

Attack on a Kuban journalist; strike of minibus drivers in Makhachkala; completion of the investigation into the "March 1" case and adoption of a new government programme in Armenia; events in Southern Russia on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of February 11-17, 2019, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

A native of Dagestan, Alibek Mirzekhanov, has been detained on suspicion of involvement in the brawl in the "Neolit" Cafe, a law enforcement source has informed. Mirzekhanov's subscribers have posted the hashtag #свободуалибеку (Freedom to Alibek) on the Instagram.

Alibek Mirzekhanov, a blogger, has disappeared after law enforcers visited his apartment in Moscow, where he lived with his family.

According to police estimates, over 400 people came to a rally in support of Oleg Khosonov, accused of the murder of Bichenov brothers in Beslan in June 2018. Oleg's relatives assert that his shooting was an act of self-defence.

Sedrak Kocharyan, the elder son of Robert Kocharyan, the former President of Armenia, has informed that he is under recognizance not to leave, because of charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

On February 15, Chechnya began receiving documents from those who wish to make a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. This year, it has been decided to increase the number of theologians who will accompany the pilgrims; and each participant of the Hajj will receive religious literature and will be able to bring home five litres of water from the holy source, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Chechnya has announced.

Talekh Bagirzade, the leader of the "Muslim Unity" Movement, has agreed to stop his hunger strike, the co-chairs of the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Inmates-Believers (CPRIB), who visited Talekh in an Azerbaijani prison, have informed.

After the protests, Georgian officials got convinced not to dismantle the monument to Mikhail Avagyan, a Karabakh War veteran, local politicians of Armenian origin have reported. The Georgian authorities will not let go of a conflict of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Diasporas, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

On February 10-16, Azerbaijani soldiers fired more than 1700 shots at the positions of the Defence Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), the NKR's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed.

After the meeting with the Armenian Vice-Premier, workers of the Alaverdi Copper Smelter unblocked the Yerevan-Tbilisi railway, agreeing to wait for the outcomes of the talks on the resumption of the factory operation.

One of the three residents of Tersky was released without charging, two others are suspected of having links with militants, their relatives have informed.

Two residents of the dwelling settlement of Ilsky were killed because of their sexual orientation, their fellow villagers are convinced. The fact that investigators have voiced out this version as one of the basic ones is a rare case, activists of the Russian LGBT Network have noted.

Members of the Dagestani Public Commission on the border with Chechnya have shown Khizri Shikhsaidov, the Speaker of the Dagestani Parliament, the potentially disputable territories for the demarcation. In his turn, he has assured that Dagestan has no intent to give any land to Chechnya.

The parties in the mass brawl in the Pechatniki Moscow district were natives of Chechnya and Azerbaijan; mutual insults kindled the conflict, sources have reported. Employees of the Chechnya's permanent mission and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow did not contact the parties, said the sources from both institutions.

The Special Investigating Service (SIS) of Armenia has completed the inquiry into the case of riots in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, and presented charges against the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, and other officials.

The court has found the resident of Sochi, who conducted collective Buddhist meditations, guilty of illegal missionary activities and fined him by 5000 roubles. The court ruling has caused resonance among Facebook users.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, a Dagestani MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter, who was fined for the brawl he initiated after his fight with Conor McGregor, has paid the fine of 500,000 US dollars. Khabib has also paid the fines for his team members, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov.

The popular wearing of elements of military uniforms by Chechen residents undermines the law enforcers' authority and scares tourists away, law enforcers have stated. Raids were conducted in the Gudermes District, during which policemen warned men about the inadmissibility of wearing camouflage and other military clothes.

During a year, the investigation of threats received by the staff of the Makhachkala branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", arson of rights defenders' car, and beating up of Sirazhudin Datsiev, has not progressed; investigators shy away from contacts with victims and their lawyers, stated the participants of the press conference that took place in the capital of Dagestan on February 15.