News

In the case against Rizvan Ibragimov, accused of extremism, the court has questioned three witnesses, including a woman from Chechnya, after whose complaint the very criminal case was instituted. The witness has said she did not remember why and how she filed her complaint.

The Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) has dismissed the complaint filed by Azerbaijani activist Giyas Ibragimov against the verdict of guilty and upheld the decision to deprive him of liberty for 10 years. The defence intends to file a cassation appeal.

In Stepanakert, six soldiers and officers, who were seriously wounded during the April war in 2016, received Niva cars as gifts. The cars were provided from Russia as a charitable aid by Karen Khachatryan, a native of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The report of the International Crisis Group (ICG) on the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone is of benefit for the Azerbaijani side. This opinion was voiced by Stepan Grigoryan and Arman Navasardyan. According to Tigran Grigoryan, the report is primarily designed to increase the attention of the world community to the Karabakh conflict.

The Muslims brought to police stations during mass detentions in Makhachkala have been released home, said Nigmatulla Radjabov, the Imam of the "Tangim" Mosque. The Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said that they have no information about these detentions.

The 14th International "Golden Apricot" Film Festival in Yerevan received about 1100 applications from 96 countries. This year, the organizers for the first time allowed spectators to take part in choosing films through an Internet-based polling.

Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Federation, has commented on the refusal of Finnish journalist Erkka Mikkonen to travel to Chechnya. She wrote on Facebook that he was "scared" and refused to visit Chechnya under the pressure of his bosses.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has decided to provide protection for family members of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, kidnapped in Tbilisi.

An arrest of a 17-year-old native of Ingushetia, accused of storing explosives, was extended by other two weeks. This was reported by his advocate Zhavid Shakh. The detainee insists on his innocence. According to members of the Caucasian Diasporas, the suspect lived in the town of Vadsø.

The new leaders of South Ossetia have appointed to key posts in the government the persons not involved in corruption scandals and got rid of odious law enforcers in the Cabinet of Ministers. This was reported by local political analysts. According to them, the new President decided to conduct an "audit of the 'Tibilov' five-year plan."

Film director Kantemir Balagov has made a strange decision when he forbad showing his film "Tesnota" (Squeeze) in Nalchik. This opinion was voiced by residents of the city interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". Meanwhile, the people expressed their pride for the pupil of Alexander Sokurov.

A Georgian advocate of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, brought from Tbilisi to Baku in late May, has appealed to the Georgian Chief Prosecutor with a request to take his client's case from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

On June 4, athlete Murad Amriev was detained in the Bryansk Region on his way to Moscow from abroad on the charge of using a fraudulent document. Human rights defenders express their concern that his transfer to Chechnya may threaten his life.

Advocate Elchin Sadygov has stated that the administration of the Baku SIZO-1 (pre-trial prison) has refused him in visiting journalist Afghan Mukhtarly and oppositionist Gezyal Bairamly. Elchin Sadygov fears that his clients may be subjected to unlawful actions.

In Chechnya, during the first examinations at the points of the Unified State Examination (USE), six violations committed by senior schoolchildren were revealed. This was reported by the Ministry of Education of the Chechen Republic. Local residents describe the atmosphere of fear in the course of the exam.

Akhmed Doguev, a resident of the Gudermes District of Chechnya, is suspected of persuading his acquaintances to go to Syria to take part in the warfare for Islamists. The Prosecutor's Office has sent the case against him for an additional investigation.

People with unconventional sexual orientation are subjected to persecution not only in Chechnya, but also in other regions of Northern Caucasus. A homosexual who fled to Turkey from Dagestan reported how he was blackmailed by law enforcers in his homeland.

Guilty verdict in the Caliphate case in Kabardino-Balkaria; failed evacuation of population because of threat of a dam failure in the Stavropol Territory; arrest of Astrakhan activist Igor Stenin, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of May 29-June 4, 2017, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

At night of June 5, in Makhachkala, about 90 people were taken to police stations during mass detentions of Muslims. This was reported by members of the Muslim community of the region.

During the week from May 29 to June 4, 2017, there was no information about the victims of the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot", based on its own materials and information from other open sources.