News

Against the background of harsh statements of the Muslims' Coordination Centre (MCC) of Northern Caucasus, the Mufti of Ingushetia has invited the MCC members to come to Ingushetia to get acquainted with the situation in the republic, the Ingush Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) has informed.

Mekhman Guseinov continues refusing food and looks unhealthy, said his father Rafig Guseinov, who has first visited his son at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) after he went on a hunger strike. The blogger completely denies the new charges, his father has noted.

At a trial in a case on illegal financing of the opposition in Azerbaijan, the defence has claimed that the defendants had been tortured.

After a video with beating of a man had been posted in social networks, the police identified a suspect, reported the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Local residents and users of social networks criticized the ways of behaviour shown by the participant and witnesses of the fight.

In 2018, the criminal prosecution of Oyub Titiev in Chechnya, the arson at the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" office in Nazran, and the attack on Sirazhudin Datsiev in Makhachkala marked a new level of pressure on rights defenders in Northern Caucasus. However, the human rights offices in Ingushetia and Dagestan did not stop their activities, and a campaign was launched in defence of Oyub Titiev.

An official from the Penitentiary Service declared that Mekhman Guseinov was on a hunger strike for just one day. A blogger's brother and an advocate state the above statement is false and the authorities try to hide the fact of the hunger strike from the public.

The organizer of the action in support of the hunger-striking blogger Mekhman Guseinov in Baku has been arrested for 25 days; two other protesters – for 20 days. Four other activists were fined.

Dunya Miyatovic, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (CoE), has called on the Azerbaijani authorities to drop the new charge against Guseinov and provide him with the due medical care.

Apti Akiev, a native of Chechnya, who is serving his prison term in the Omsk Region, was beaten up while being moved from a correctional facility. When Akiev was convoyed, they lost keys to the handcuffs, as a result, the handcuffs were drilled through, and Akiev received burns. However, an investigator saw no grounds for opening a criminal case.

Six members of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) were detained outside the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, when they came to the trial of their arrested comrades. They were released five hours after detention.

The participants of the "Strategy-6" picket in Saratov have held the first action in 2019 in support of Russian political prisoners, demanding to liberate Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

Residents of Tbilisi and Kutaisi took part in the traditional "Alilo" Christmas March; in the capital of Georgia, they were congratulated on the Christmas by President Salome Zurabishvili.

Christmas services were held in the Orthodox churches of Baku, Ganja and Khachmaz. Residents of Baku said that in their families the celebration of Christmas is a tribute to traditions.

New Year celebrations and related tragic events; resonant murder in Ingushetia; return of Russian children from Iraq to their families; protest actions in support of Azerbaijani blogger Mekhman Guseinov; start of the "garbage reform" in the regions of Southern Russia, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 31, 2018-January 6, 2019, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Baku police have detained picketers in defence of the blogger Mekhman Guseinov, who had gone on a hunger strike in jail. However, the authorities report that he has himself stopped his protest.

During the last 24 hours, the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone was violated for 28 times; the positions of the Azerbaijani militaries deployed in the villages of the Gazakh and Tovuz Districts came under fire, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.

The feast of the Epiphany, which unites Christmas and Baptism, was celebrated by the parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The festive divine services were held in 89 temples of the Artsakh Diocese.

This night, the Christmas holiday services were held in Chechnya under heightened security measures. In Grozny, the capital of the republic, there were also rescuers on duty near the Christian Orthodox churches.

Gagarin Omarov, a deputy head of the Kizilyurt District administration and a former deputy of the Prosecutor of Khasavyurt, was taken to hospital, where he fell into a coma and died. His son, a resident of Khasavyurt, has complained in social networks about doctors' slowness and failure to render timely help to his father.

The residents of Grozny, who have debts on paying utility bills, received anonymous notifications about the upcoming seizure of their housing facilities for debt. However, lawyers have stated that such papers have no legal force and are intended to intimidate the debtors.