News

Today, in Makhachkala, in the vicinity of the "Tangim" Mosque, law enforcers were asking people to produce their IDs. The law enforcers' attention was focused on men wearing beards, believers reported. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) called the raid an ordinary security event.

A resident of Ingushetia shelled law enforcers from a pistol while they were searching his house, sources reported. According to them, the attacker was Yunus Vidzizhev, a participant of March protests.

Today, volunteers of the "Neotlozhka" (Emergency Care) group will submit the last transfer to the arrested Ingush activists, and after that the project will be stopped, reports group leader Boris Kodzoev. The news aroused regret among relatives of the imprisoned activists.

The international organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB) engaged in protection of journalists condemned pressure on media correspondents in Azerbaijan during the parliamentary elections held on February 9 and called on the authorities to investigate all cases of attacks on journalists.

The traditional action in Stepanakert on the 32nd anniversary of the Karabakh liberation movement brought together about 40 veterans. The election campaign creates tensions and distracts local residents from republic's major problems, the veterans have stated.

Court marshals have reported about more than 100,000 cars in Chechnya, the registration of which was banned because of unpaid debts of owners thereof. The ban bring sufferings not only to debtors, but also the drivers, who have bought such cars not knowing about the debts, local residents have pointed out.

On February 13, Syrian MPs adopted a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) responded with words of gratitude.

In 2019, only six families took part in the state programme for the resettlement of Circassian compatriots to their homeland, said Asker Shkhalakhov, the head of the Adygean Committee on Nationalities.

The checkpoint staff is detaining heavy trucks with goods on the Russian-South-Ossetian border, demanding to fill in a detailed electronic declaration; and meanwhile foodstuffs get spoiled, entrepreneurs have complained. Under a threat of stop shipments, they demand to solve the problem.

The appointment of Ramzan Kadyrov's nephew as the head of his administration will increase the political status of Ibragim Zakriev in connection with his closeness to the head of Chechnya, Ruslan Kutaev, an Orientalist, has stated. The degree of influence of Chechen officials is defined by their personal relations with Kadyrov, Rinat Mukhametov, a political analyst, and Alexei Malashenko, an expert, have noted.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan has considered complaints about violations during the February 9 parliamentary elections and cancelled the outcomes thereof in four constituencies. The complaints concerning 13 other constituencies were sent to the respective commissions at the constituency level. Activists insist that falsifications were made everywhere.

At trial, Ingush activist Rashid Aushev stated that he was not guilty of attacking law enforcers in Magas. Rashid Aushev is not allowed to be visited by his relatives and friends, and his decease has aggravated at a SIZO (pre-trial prison), his relatives claimed.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) awarded 72,000 euros of compensation to Azerbaijani activists Bairam Mamedov and Giyas Ibragimov, who complained about torture and violation of the right to freedom of expression.

The "Grozny" TV Company devoted a story to residents of Chechnya detained on suspicion of theft and fraud. Three of the detainees repented of their actions. They will not be able to get rid of public shame, suggest authors of the TV story.

The Supreme Court (SC) of Russia mitigated the punishment imposed on Malsag Uzhakhov, the chairman of the Ingush Council of Teips (families), by reducing his fine from 150,000 to 10,000 roubles, reported advocate Djabrail Kuriev.

The positions of the Azerbaijani troops in villages located on the border with Armenia and in the Karabakh conflict zone were shelled 22 times within 24 hours, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan reported.

In Irkutsk, the court granted a request of a penal colony administration to transfer Zaur Dadaev, sentenced for the murder of Boris Nemtsov, to prison for three years, but the defence challenged the court's decision. The Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) began verifying photos from a feast in the penal colony with participation of Zaur Dadaev posted on a social network.

A court in Tbilisi has left Marianna Choloyan, a police investigator, accused of forcing a 15-year-old teenager to testify, after which he committed suicide, in custody. Ms Choloyan refuses to plead guilty.

The Chechen authorities have initiated a reconciliation of two families, who were in blood feud for 25 years.

Arlem Desir, the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Representative on Media Freedom, is concerned about the violence against journalists during the crackdown on February 11. He has urged the Azerbaijani authorities to punish those responsible.