News

Many of Yerevan residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have not decided who to vote for at the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on December 9. Political forces did not focus on victory, but set a goal to go to the parliament, note political analysts.

The Georgian alliance "Strength in Unity" assures that its members do not intend to organize a revolution because of disagreement with the result of the elections. However, the authorities warn that they will not allow revolutionary scenarios and unrest.

In Tbilisi, on the anniversary of the murder of two schoolchildren, Zaza Saralidze, a father of one of them, has promised to continue the protests until all guilty persons are punished. The office of the Georgian Ombudsperson declared an ineffective investigation into the murder.

In the period from November 25 to December 1, the Azerbaijani armed forces fired 2000 shots at the positions of the Defence Army, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for Nagorno-Karabakh reported.

Children's Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova referred the issue of female circumcision to the medical field. That has provoked indignation of social network users who insist that mutilations are unacceptable.

The issue for giving out the body of Karina Spiridonova, who blew herself up in Grozny, is regulated by the law on burial of terrorists without notifying relatives, reported advocates. They recommended relatives to go to court.

Yevgeny Bunin, a resident of the Tuapse District, has complained about torture and reported the deterioration in his health state after beating by law enforcers.

The Prosecutor's Office has charged Mustafa Gadjibeili, the editor-in-chief of the opposition publication "bastainfo.com", with public appeals against the state, abuse of office, and forgery. Mustafa Gadjibeili pleaded not guilty.

A court hearing on the lawsuit filed by the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" against investigators who refused to institute a criminal case on the extrajudicial execution of 27 residents of Chechnya was postponed due to the lack of materials for inspections. A representative of the plaintiffs announced the delay in the trial.

In the period from 2014 to 2018, horses officially owned by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov brought him more than 98 million roubles in prize money, the "Transparency International Russia" reported. All information about incomes is reflected in the Ramzan Kadyrov's tax declaration, reports Alvi Karimov, the press secretary for the leader of Chechnya.

Three men killed in a shootout in the Maisky District have been identified as residents of Kabardino-Balkaria who had earlier criminal records; they were plotting attacks on law enforcers and kidnappings, sources reported.

The Moscow District Military Court has sentenced to four years of imprisonment Akhmed Elsanukaev, sentenced in Grozny for posting on a social network the information about the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) banned in Russia.

The Parliament of Azerbaijan has approved a draft law to send officers to South Sudan to replenish the composition of the UN mission. Peacekeepers are to arrive in Africa in January.

The Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) has dismissed the complaint filed by Afghan Sadygov, who was sentenced to 30 days of arrest on the charge of failure to obey to law enforcers. The journalist has pleaded not guilty. He intends to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Viktor Kotlyarov, an author and publisher of the book "The Kanzhali Battle: A Glance Through the Centuries", did not attend a hearing held on November 29, and the court dismissed his lawsuit against Khadis Tetuev to protect honour and dignity.

Construction of a new mosque, designed for 5000, has been started in the capital of Chechnya. The residents of Grozny interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" do not see the need to build a large mosque at the entrance to the city. They believe it will not be completely filled with believers.

Users of Armenian social networks criticized the proposals of officials suspected of corruption to make multimillion-dollar gifts to the state. Users also considered the Nikol Pashinyan's rhetoric as campaign populism.

A shootout in the Maisky District, in which three suspected militants were killed on November 29, has become the second armed incident in Kabardino-Balkaria in 2018 after an attack on a policeman in October.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov believes that the Constitutional Court of Russia recognizes the agreement on the Chechen-Ingush border as legal. He has called the opponents of the border agreement provocateurs, who "must be stopped."

Murderers of Ismail Barkhanoev, a former staff member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), knocked on his house and shot at him through the door when the man came to knock. The victim had a wife and a little daughter, villagers reported.