News

The positions of the Azerbaijani Army were shelled from large-calibre machine guns, including those positions stationed in nine villages in the border areas, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated today.

In Southern Caucasus, the year of 2018 is remembered by the revolution in Armenia, the elections of presidents in Azerbaijan and Georgia, and mass protests in different regions. The "Caucasian Knot" has summed up the results of the year in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia.

During the week of December 24-30, 2018, no information was reported about people killed and wounded in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Five years after pre-New Year terror acts in Volgograd; new case against imprisoned Azerbaijani blogger Guseinov – see the review of these and other events that happened in the Caucasus during the week of December 24-30, 2018, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

In Ingushetia, Ibragim Belkharoev, a well-known religious figure and great-grandson of Sheikh Batal-Khadji Belkhoroev, was shot dead; his driver Abo Aushev was seriously wounded.

A special flight with 30 Russian children arrived on December 30 from Iraq at the airfield Ramenskoe near Moscow, the head of Chechnya had stated.

The working group on the unified list of political prisoners has condemned the new accusation put forward against the blogger Mekhman Guseinov, and called on international organizations to urgently react to the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

On December 30, residents of Volgograd laid flowers at the memorial stone installed at the place of the terror act committed five years ago in a city trolleybus. After the incident, some townspeople refused to use public transport whatsoever.

Tarik Topchu was too late to appeal against the abolition of his residence permit, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has ruled.

On December 27, in Baku, Talekh Khasmamedov, a rights defender and a member of the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners (CPPP), was detained on suspicion of extortion, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported. His wife and colleagues-activists are sure that Talekh is being persecuted on trumped-up charges.

In Azerbaijan, cases of persecution of journalists for criticizing the authorities have become more frequent, announces the international organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB). Rights defenders have called on the international community not to stand aside to stop the repression against the media.

The defence of Anar Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the "criminalaz.com", accused of voicing calls against the state, has requested the court to close the case. However, the court dismissed the defence motion.

Middle-aged and older repatriates find it difficult to adapt in Russia, learn the language, and find a job, report ethnic Circassians who moved to Adygea from Syria. The flow of repatriates fell due to the normalization of the situation in Syria, reported officials in Adygea.

In Azerbaijan, the court has considered two complaints about the rights violation of the imprisoned journalist Afghan Mukhtarly. The complaint about the inhuman treatment has been sent to the prosecutor's office for the investigation. The complaint about the restriction of his right to telephone conversations, relatives' visits and receiving books remained unsatisfied.

Ali Sadullaev, the Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, who took part in defining the Chechen-Ingush border, has received an order; five other members of the commission received honourable diplomas and letters of gratitude. The residents of Chechnya, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", have disagreed with these awards, because they treat the border agreement as unprofitable for Chechnya.

The Polish authorities, who have decided to deport blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov to Russia, failed to take into account the recommendations of the report of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) on human rights violations in Chechnya, rights defenders have stated at an action in Moscow. They pointed to cases of violent disappearances of other Chechens, who has been expelled from Europe to Russia.

Abu Umar Sasitlinsky, a preacher from Dagestan, declared by the law enforcement bodies as an organizer of terrorist financing, rejected any facts of his acquaintance with other persons involved in the criminal case. Earlier, fundraising for terrorists under the pretext of charity used to be widespread, but tight control over banking transactions and charitable foundations undermined the practice, declare experts.

After his exemption from punishment, Magomed Bekov, sentenced in a criminal case of torture in the Ingush "E" Centre (Centre for Combating Extremism), lives at home and visits a hospital, his advocate reports. An exemption from punishment for sickness is not a rare case, although many sick prisoners cannot achieve such a solution, rights defenders report.

Fans of the Korean "BTS" band did not believe in the seriousness of the threats, because of which the film about the musicians had been cancelled in Dagestan. Such threats pose a real danger, and the repeated disruption of cultural events in the republic causes serious damage to society, believe journalists and the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" local office.

In Moscow, rights defenders have held three solo pickets near the Embassy of Poland. The protestors have stated that the return of Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov to Russia threatens his life.