News

Former law enforcer Denis Irza, who won the case on his unlawful arrest in the Kabardino-Balkaria at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), demanded to institute criminal proceedings against the judges who extended his arrest.

A 49-year-old Russian citizen suspected of killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a native of the Pankisi Gorge, is arrested, reports the Prosecutor's Office in Berlin. The arrested person is a native of Chechnya, sources report.

Presidential election in Abkhazia; conflict with shooting in Krasnodar of natives of Chechnya and Dagestan; disputes around a large mosque opened in Chechnya, – read about these and other events in the weekly review of major events in the Caucasus that happened on August 19-25, 2019, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Human Right Watch (HRW) has studied the miners' working conditions in Georgia. The government should seek clear regulation of working hours, observance by employers of rest and night work regimes, and of payment for overtime and work on holidays, human rights defenders have stated.

Imameddin Geidarov, a son of Kyamal Geidarov, the head of the Hajiqabul district organization of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was sentenced to 30 days of arrest. The PFPA believes that the young man is persecuted for his civil activism and criticism of the authorities in social networks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia has protested against the presidential election in Abkhazia treating it as another illegal action directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

The Azerbaijani journalist, Afghan Mukhtarly, said that in the colony he is denied meetings with friends and phone calls to his advocate. The latter has pointed to the illegality of these restrictions.

The case of Avtandil Tsereteli has become another link in the chain of authorities' attempts to eliminate rivals at the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Georgian oppositionists assert.

On August 23, law enforcers checked documents of Muslim believers at the mosque in Moscow, after which they made detentions, including of natives of the Caucasus. One of them said that all the detainees received electric shocks, and two men were beaten up.

On August 18-24, Azerbaijani militaries fired more than 1500 shots at the positions of the Defence Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), its Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed.

The Supreme Court (SC) of Ingushetia has cancelled as illegal the ruling of the Magas Court to fine Malsag Uzhakhov, the head of the Ingush Council of Teips (family clans), after the rallies in October 2018. This is already the second decision of Uzhakhov's administrative cases, quashed by a higher judicial instance.

Ilyas Vanatov, a native of Dagestan, killed in Krasnodar, was buried in his native village of Turshunai. Tensions among natives from Dagestan and Chechnya have intensified after disputes on the republics' border and Ramzan Kadyrov's statements about Imam Shamil, members of the Dagestani community of Krasnodar assert.

The blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, trying to belittle Ramzan Kadyrov's achievements, has understated the scale of building mosques in Chechnya, Chingiz Akhmadov, an employee of the "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company), wrote in his blog. Residents of Chechnya were distrustful of Kadyrov's words that he had objected to naming the new mosque in Shali after him.

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a native of the Pankisi Gorge, was shot dead in the head in Berlin, his Georgian compatriots have informed.

On August 23, Ikram Ragimov, an Azerbaijani journalist, who is on a hunger-strike at the SIZO (pre-trial prison), was visited by doctors of the Baku office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Ragimov intends to continue his hunger strike until he is released, his cousin, Galib Gasanov, has stated.

The court has ruled to place three alleged participants in the conflict of North-Caucasian natives that broke in Krasnodar behind bars. During the conflict, two people suffered, investigators informed on August 23.

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has cancelled the house arrest of Martin Kochesoko, the head of the Circassian public organization named "Khabze", accused of drug dealing.

On August 22, several thousand residents of Grozny took part in a rally on the occasion of the Day of the National Flag of Russia, despite the working day. The attendance at the rally was mandatory, employees of budget-funded companies have complained.

Mubariz Abdulkerimov, the chairman of the Sheki District branch of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was arrested for 15 days in an administrative case on hooliganism. His colleagues called the charge as far-fetched and associated the persecution of the activist with his opposition activities.

Users of social networks criticized officials for alleging that a shootout of natives of Chechnya and Dagestan in the centre of Krasnodar was a domestic conflict. The authorities try to hide the interethnic background of the incident, the social network users suggest.