News

Installation of the monument to Mikhail Avagyan, a veteran of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Akhalkalaki District is a provocation aimed to create problems in relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan, believe politicians and public figures interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

Talekh Bagirzade, the leader of the "Muslim Unity" Movement, told his wife about the oppression suffered by him in prison and confirmed his hunger strike, which continues for 14 days already.

The Circassian repatriates from Syria, who have received the right to Russian citizenship, face excessively strict demands to the knowledge of the Russian language and literature, said Asker Sokht, the chairman of the "Adyge Khase" organization in Krasnodar.

In a resolution adopted today, the European Parliament has demanded urgent release of Oyub Titiev, the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" office in Grozny. MEPs have also called on international sports personalities and artists from all over the world to refrain from participating in public events in Chechnya.

During the today's protest action, students have called for an extraordinary meeting of the board of trustees of the Yerevan State University (known as YeSU) and for expression of distrust to Rector Aram Simonyan.

UN experts have stated they "are alarmed by information pointing to a new wave of persecution based on sexual orientation" in Chechnya, reports the appeal released on the UN Human Rights Council' page on February 13.

Law enforcers detained three persons on February 11. Till present, relatives are not aware of the detainees' whereabouts.

The dispute over the Chechen gas debt takes place amid tough measures to combat the inefficient operation of the Russian domestic market, say reporters of the Financial Times. The proceedings against the Arashukov family were launched against the background of their attempt to take control over the money for gas supplies to Chechnya, believes Oleg Bondarenko, the director of the Progressive Policy Foundation.

An investigator found no grounds for questioning as a witness Dagestani leader Vladimir Vasiliev, who said that the Gasanguseinov brothers had been killed by a tragic mistake. The investigator's decision will be challenged, the Committee against Torture (CaT) reports today.

The US Department of State does not support any engagement with Syrian military forces, whether that engagement is to provide assistance to civilians or is military in nature, the US Embassy in Armenia declares. David Tonoyan, Armenian Defence Minister, noted the need to provide assistance to Syrian people.

In Stepanakert, more than 40 veterans attended a rally on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Karabakh liberation movement. The new authorities of Armenia took a tough stance on the Karabakh issue and clearly identified the need for the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process, stated activists of the Karabakh liberation movement interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

Giorgi Kobuliya, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, has promised that the contract with "Gazprom" would be concluded till late February, but refused to report its details. The opposition demands to disclose the details of the contract.

Dagestani officials did not examine historical materials, and, before starting to clarify the border with Chechnya, they created an informational vacuum around the process and provoked tension in a number of regions of the republic, believe participants of a roundtable in Makhachkala.

The words of the deputy head of the Armenian National Congress about the need to make concessions to Azerbaijan caused a sharply negative reaction from supporters of Nikol Pashinyan.

The extortion and use of firearms by Murad Saidov, detained in the Crimea is "out of question," said Isa Khachukaev, Kadyrov's permanent envoy to the peninsula. Saidov could face charges of kidnapping, said a source close to investigators.

Workers of the Alaverdi Copper Smelter have suspended their protest action in order to give the authorities time to respond about the future of the enterprise. They threatened to block both the motor road and the railway running to Georgia.

One of the persons accused of beating up inspectors of the road-and-patrol service (DPS) in Vladikavkaz has been taken into custody; two more were placed under house arrest, investigators have announced today.

Today, at the session on the case of members of the "Sasna Tsrer" detachment, the Yerevan court has ruled to stop the criminal prosecution of Varuzhan Avetisyan and Pavel Manukyan, accused of plotting mass riots.

On February 12, the Russian Ombudsperson, Tatiana Moskalkova, asked the prosecutor's office to react to the claims of a Chechen resident to the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, which wrote about his detention because of his suspected homosexuality.

On February 12, a Sochi court ruled that the publication of "The Insider" about a poaching hunting by high-ranking officials denigrates the honour of the director of the Caucasian Reserve, and obliged the website to delete the article; however, the edition challenged the court ruling.