News

Forceful dispersal of opposition supporters and release of police officers held hostage in Yerevan; IOC's decision on the participation of the Russian national team in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; appointment of a new City Mayor in Volgograd; beginning of the consideration by the court of the cases on desecration of a statue of Buddha in Elista; initiation by the Azerbaijani President of the amendments to the Constitution; opposition's announcement of preparation of the people's assembly in Abkhazia, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of July 18-24, 2016, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The restrictions in force for travelling on the Georgian Military Road are lifted in connection with the normalization of the situation in the territory of Georgia.

During the week of July 18-24, 2016, no one fell victim to 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.

The international federation "United World Wrestling" will let Russian wrestlers, including athletes from the republics of Northern Caucasus, to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games. This was announced by the leaders of the Russian Wrestling Federation (RWF) after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided to delegate to the federations the right to decide on the participation of athletes in the Olympic Games.

The petition with a request to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to check the justification of the rise in prices for air tickets for flights Moscow-Makhachkala has collected 253 signatures.

On July 23, Rostov-on-Don hosted a sanctioned picket in protest against criminal proceedings against Valentina Cherevatenko, the leader of the "Union 'Women of Don'". According to the organizers of the picket, the event was attended by about 15 people.

In Azerbaijan, the advocate Asabali Mustafaev was not admitted to his client, the oppositionist Ruslan Garaev, arrested administratively for 20 days, the advocate has reported. He fears that Garaev is tortured. The Sumgait police do not comment on the advocate's statement.

Today, a press conference of the members of the "Constituent Parliament" took place on the captured building; it was allowed by law enforcers after the rebels released all the hostages.

Ani Navasardyan, a participant of activists' clashes with the police in Yerevan, has been detained today by power agents. The woman is a cousin of one of the capturers of the building of the patrol-and-guard regiment of the police.

A son of one of the judges of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), while being intoxicated, rendered resistance to employees of the road-and-post police (known as the DPS) and fractured a jaw of one of them, a law enforcement source has reported today.

Members of the "Constituent Parliament" have set free top-ranking police officers Vardan Yegiazaryan and Valery Osipyan. Thus, all the hostages, held in the seized building of the police regiment in Yerevan are released.

Following the negotiations in Yerevan, it is decided that the members of the "Constituent Parliament" who seized the building of the police regiment, will be provided with food. Moreover, the rebels will be reconnected to the mobile communication that had been earlier switched off by the secret services.

The agreement stating that the Sochi branches of the parties will protect the rights of citizens and ensure democratic elections to the State Duma was signed by the leaders of four out of nine parties.

In Yerevan, members of the "Constituent Parliament" have set free two police officers after in the course of the negotiations the parties had reached an agreement on the admission of journalists to the building of the police regiment seized by oppositionists.

Ingush MPs have developed a draft law reinforcing the state control over religious groups. The leader of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov has criticized the explanatory note to the project, according to which 13 Ingush mosques are used by recruiters of international terrorist organizations.

On July 19, the Carnegie Moscow Centre hosted the presentation of the report on the topic "2016 elections: routine or change?" Despite the signals on intention to conduct the upcoming election campaign openly, people should not expect serious competition and dramatic changes. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by the co-author of the report Andrei Kolesnikov.

In Yerevan, about 1500 people gathered in Khorenatsi Street for a rally to support members of the group "Sasna Tsrer" (Daredevils of Sassoun), who seized the building of the patrol-and-security service of the police regiment.

The investigating authorities have charged Karo Egnukyan, a member of the "Constituent Parliament", who was suspected of having connections with the rebels, who seized the building of the patrol-and-security service of the police regiment in Yerevan.

In Abkhazia, the opposition forces bloc plans to hold the people's assembly in autumn. Within the preparation for the people's assembly, the opposition organizes meetings with residents of the republic. On July 20, the notification of the decision to hold the people's assembly, made at the extended meeting of the opposition "Amtsakhara" Party, was published on the website of the agency "Abkhaz-Inform".

Today, law enforcers have detained and brought to the police station about 20 believers, coming out after the Friday prayer of the Salafi mosque, located in Hungarian Fighters Street.