News

Power dispersal of demonstrators in Tbilisi; termination of the protest action held by a father of the shepherds killed in Dagestan; story with the involvement of a Stavropol law enforcer in the murder of a Syrian man; release from SIZO of Ingush journalist Rashid Maisigov; arrest of former Elista Mayor Vyacheslav Namruev, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of November 18-24, 2019, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Participants in a roundtable in Vladikavkaz have discussed the problem of domestic violence in the republic, recalling the murder of Regina Gagieva. According to their stories, the police often neglects victims' complaints; and there is no one to help them among relatives.

In its report on Ramzan Kadyrov's visit to the UAE, the Chechen television has made an excessive emphasis on the respect of Arab Sheikhs to the head of Chechnya, residents of the republic have stated.

Residents of Chechnya were outraged by the report on "loafers" shown by the "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company) amid economic strangulation of the population, the blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has stated.

The devaluation of the Georgian currency has led to inflation and rising prices in the country. Foodstuffs have become very expensive; people have to save and borrow money, residents of Georgia have stated. To strengthen the lari, the country needs political stabilization, economists and political analysts believe.

In the course of the investigation of the murder of Regina Gagieva, a resident of Vladikavkaz, seven investigators have already replaced each other, Roksana Gagieva, Regina's sister, has stated.

The complaint of the lawyer of the Committee against Torture (CaT) Abubakar Yangulbaev has confirmed; the former police boss of the Shamil District will be brought to disciplinary responsibility, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan has reported. Yangulbaev, who is representing the interests of the parents of the murdered Gasanguseinov brothers, believes that the policeman should be fired.

Since November 17, Azerbaijani soldiers fired more than 1300 shots at positions of the Defence Army, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) reported on November 23.

Chechens would not work, despite many vacancies in the republic and high salaries, an official from the "Chechenstroi" said in a report broadcast by the "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company). Residents of Chechnya have stated that in reality workers are often deceived by non-paying or paying lower salaries.

The failure with the promise to reform the electoral system by the next parliamentary elections has undermined the trust in the "Georgian Dream" Party of some Georgia's international partners, on whom the country's welfare depends, analysts have noted.

The blogger Benjamin's trip to Chechnya, where he was forced to apologize for his joke about Chechen girls in the video, has not diminished his popularity. Meanwhile, YouTube users have recalled that the republic has an image of a region, where human rights are violated and where visits require extraordinary courage.

Believers have reported that on November 22, during their Friday namaz (prayer), there were no mobile posts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan near the "Tangim" Mosque. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, who visited the vicinity, has confirmed the absence of law enforcers there.

The court has ruled to release Nika Parulava, Beka Papashvili and Oto Shengeliya, activists of the "Smeni" movement by postponing the consideration of their cases. The proceeding of the case of Tite Gedenidze, an activist, has been stopped.

The Armenian government has decided to issue certificates for purchase of housing to families of refugees from Azerbaijan. In total, 112 families will receive them. This is the first authorities' decision in 11 years, which will help to solve the housing problem of at least a small part of the refugees.

Law enforcers have searched the house of parents of Izabella Evloeva, the founder and leader of the oppositional Ingush edition "Fortanga". Magomed Mutsolgov, a human rights defender, has linked the search with the professional activities of the journalist, who is temporarily living in Europe.

On November 22, Akhmed Dudaev, the head of the "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company), has posted a video in the social network with a Canadian resident Azamat Ibragimov, a native of Chechnya, who decided to stay at his homeland, a voice-over-the-screen says.

Investigators have provided Murtazali Gasanguseinov, the father of the murdered shepherd brothers, with all the materials of the check regarding the law enforcer, who had reported on the killing of militants in the Shamil District. The demands of his solo pickets have been fulfilled, but Gasanguseynov's lawyers are ready to challenge the investigators' findings.

The police detained protesters who tried to block the building of the State Security Service of Georgia, and all six detainees have already been released, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia reports. The detainees did not render any resistance to the police, although administrative protocols on their alleged disobedience to the police were drawn up against them, one of the protesters reported.

Today, the Moscow City Court has upheld a decision on a fine of 150,000 roubles, imposed on Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance Committee", for a protest action on the anniversary of the Natalia Estemirova's murder. Svetlana Gannushkina requested the court to completely acquit her in the administrative case.

Azamat Ibragimov, a native of Chechnya, who arrived from Canada and disappeared, recorded a video of his walk around the centre of Grozny a week after his disappearance. In his video, Azamat Ibragimov called on natives of Chechnya living abroad to stop criticizing the republic's authorities. He did not record the video by his own will, suggested Instagram users and residents of Chechnya.