News

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.

On June 2-4, Rostov-on-Don hosted the festival of the bard's song club "Sozvezdie", which attracted song performers from the Krasnodar Territory and the Volgograd and Voronezh Regions. In total, the festival was visited by about 200 people.

Circassian activists have created an initiative group and announced a fundraising to hire an advocate to challenge the court's decision to impose a fine on Ruslan Gvashev for his participation in a prayer on the Circassian Memorial Day.

Leyla Mustafaeva, the wife of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, has announced the decision of the journalist's family members to refuse applying for Georgian citizenship. The woman has explained the decision by her reluctance to live and work in the country where her husband had been kidnapped.

The parties to the Karabakh conflict are not ready to reach compromise, and while negotiators from the OSCE Minsk Group are inactive, a new war is almost inevitable. This opinion was voiced by Russian and Azerbaijani political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

Residents of Ingushetia interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have criticized the postponement to July 11 of festive events in honour of the 25th anniversary of the republic. The Ingush residents intend to celebrate the date on June 4.

Journalist Afghan Mukhtarly was transported through an uncontrolled section of the Georgian-Azerbaijani border. This was reported at a press conference by Azerbaijani advocate Nemat Kerimli. People in uniform pushed Afghan Mukhtarly into a car parked near the house where he lived, and later with a plastic bag on his head, he was taken out of the country.

In Baku, searches have been conducted in the office of the Internet TV Kanal-13 (Kanal13.tv) and the apartment of its executive director Aziz Orujov, who was earlier arrested. Computers, electronic carriers and documents were confiscated, said employees of the TV channel.

Georgian authorities are ready to help the family of the Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarly with the necessary legal procedures, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, has stated. He asked the President to grant citizenship to Mukhtarly's wife and children.

In connection with disappearance of a 14-year-old girl-resident of Kaspiysk, a criminal case was initiated under the article "Murder", the Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan has stated.