News

The oppositional "United National Movement" (UNM) Party has video evidence of violations and requires the Prosecutor's Office to detain people suspected of fraud. That was announced by Levan Bezhashvili, one of the party leaders.

OSCE's recognition of the facts of torture and extrajudicial executions in Chechnya; questions to President Putin from Southern Russia; special operation in Stavropol; detention in Kabardino-Balkaria of a man suspected of a murder committed 13 years ago; protest action of "Nairit" workers in Yerevan, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 17-23, 2018, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

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

Residents of Kumyk villages near Makhachkala have erected a monument to the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, who 100 years ago drove troops of General Lazar Bicherakhov out of Dagestan. Locals associate General's soldiers with violence and perceive their Turk counterparts as liberators; however, historians have no common opinion on whether the actions of the Ottoman Empire in Northern Caucasus were intervention.

The persecution of journalist Khadija Ismayilova in Azerbaijan is detrimental to the freedom of expressing one's opinion in the country, Arlem Desir, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, has stated.

Employees of budgetary institutions in the Grozny District of Chechnya are forced to work on cleaning the banks of the Terek River after their work hours and on weekends, local residents have complained.

The literary event based on the novel "Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov at the Buynaksk Medical College was called a "satanic holiday" by social media users.

The amendments aimed to increase the term for investigating crimes will be adopted under the accelerated procedure; this will allow to finish the inquiry into the murder of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first president of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Speaker of the Parliament, has promised today. The sons of Gamsakhurdia refused to stop their hunger strike after this statement.

The townspeople, dissatisfied with the release of Manvel Grigoryan, have blocked the exit from Echmiadzin, demanding the return the Armenian MP back into custody. They blocked the road immediately after the court ruled to release Grigoryan.

On December 16-22, Azerbaijani soldiers fired 2000 shots at the positions of the Defence Army, the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.

The advocates of David Kirkitadze, an activist of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party, suspected of attacking a policeman, have filed an appeal against the court's ruling to arrest him. The persecution of Kirkitadze evidences the authorities' plans to put pressure on the opposition, the Alliance "Strength in Unity" believes.

On December 20, the Swedish Migration Service refused to grant political asylum to Krasnodar painters Alexei Knedlyakovsky and Lusine Djanyan, known for their oppositional actions. This decision caused outrage of Swedish social network users.

On December 21 and during the last night, the Armenian military servicemen violated the ceasefire regime on the troops contact line for 23 times, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.

The authorities are dismantling the Central Marketplace in the Chechen city of Gudermes instead of eliminating the violations found there, said the townspeople interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

During searches and detentions of over 100 natives of the republics of Northern Caucasus at one of Moscow hostels, law enforcers illegally entered one's housing, committed illegal deprivation of freedom, failed to render medical aid and damaged one's property, Tatiana Okushko, a lawyer, believes. Law enforcers were obliged to present court's orders or investigator's warrant for a search, said Maxim Pashkov.

The court in Yerevan has released Manvel Grigoryan, an Armenian MP and the head of the "Erkrapa" Union of Volunteer, on bail of 52,000 US dollars.

The North-Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has refused to change the freedom restraint of Pavel Grib, a Ukrainian citizen, for house arrest, despite his complaints about health problems.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has recognized violations of the rights of two Georgian citizens, who failed to receive the necessary medical care in jails. The victims have been awarded compensation in the total amount of 19,500 euros.

Ramzan Kadyrov has commented on the fatal road accident in Grozny with the participation of his relative, making it clear that the latter will not be punished.

The Russian military serviceman suspected of killing a woman in the city of Gyumri must be kept at the local SIZO (pre-trial prison); his stay at the military base contradicts the norms of the Armenia-Russia agreement, the lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have stated.