News

On January 12, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov appointed new leaders of the plain Shelkovsky District and the mountainous Nozhai-Yurt Districts of Chechnya. On January 11, Ramzan Kadyrov appointed new head in the Gudermes and Kurchaloi Districts, two major municipalities of the Chechen Republic.

The search for the suspected militant, who managed to escape after the armed clash with power agents, continues. The special operation is conducted in forests and villages of the Shali and Kurchaloi Districts and in the city of Argun, said a law enforcement source.

In the study at the trial of Boris Nemtsov's murder of details of phone calls of Eskerkhanov, his advocate insisted that the defendant had nothing to do with the phone, with the use of which, according to investigators, the slain politician was shadowed.

In 2016, Russia stepped up the persecution against dissidents and tightened the control over freedom of expression and assembly. In Northern Caucasus, Salafi communities, human rights defenders and journalists found themselves under severe pressure of the authorities. This was declared by the report prepared by the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW).

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has asked the General Prosecutor's Office to give a legal assessment to statements of blogger Mekhman Guseinov published by the media. According to the Azerbaijani MIA, Mekhman Guseinov defamed the police in his public statements. The blogger denies the accusation.

The European Union (EU) and international organizations prefer not to pay attention to the deterioration of the situation with human rights in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, they focus on joint projects in the energy sector. This was stated by the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW).

Today, the Jalilabad District Court of Azerbaijan has finalized the trial of journalist Afgan Sadygov, accused of hooliganism. The defence intends to appeal against the verdict. According to the advocate, the journalist is prosecuted for his publications.

The decision of the authorities of the city of Volzhski to collect, starting from January, the fee from parents for their kids' non-attendance of kindergartens without a valid reason will strike family budgets, parents said. In its turn, the Mayoralty explains that the measure will enable an efficient use of budgetary funds.

Alexei Kozachek, the Public Prosecutor of the Tsentralny District of Sochi, has apologised to the pensioners Klara and Valentin Donchi-ool for their prosecution, said the advocate Anatoly Eroshenko. According to his version, the pensioners have all grounds to claim compensation for moral harm and material damage.

Miners have stated at their picket in Gukovo that the total amount of the debts to employees of the "Kingcoal" group of companies should be complemented with the due surcharges to salaries. The picketers have complained that because of the payment delay they cannot pay their utility bills.

The successors of the Avetisyan family have filed a complaint to the Cassation Court demanding a re-examination of the massacre in Gyumri by the first-instance court. Should the complaint be rejected, they intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The article, under which a criminal case has been opened on the attack on Vladislav Ryazantsev, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, committed in Rostov-on-Don, provides for up to two years in prison.

As stated by the head of the Chechen MIA, in the shootout with power agents that broke out in the village of Tsotsi-Yurt on January 11, the following residents of Chechnya were killed: Umar Ozdiev, Raibek Idrisov, Alikhan Kupchiev and Uzum-Khadji Madaev.

The court in Rostov-on-Don has questioned witnesses and considered the refusal to initiate proceedings on the application of torture, lodged by Abdusalam Ramazanov, accused of an attempt to join Syrian militants. His advocate will appeal against the investigator's refusal.

The court dealing with Boris Nemtsov's murder case has announced its decision about the video record, which the Dadaev's defence had treated as evidence of his alibi. The Court found that this record cannot be regarded as admissible evidence.

One of those, killed on January 11 by power agents in the Kurchaloi District, in 2004, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for participating in an illegal armed formation (IAF), said a Chechen law enforcement source.

In the course of public hearings of the draft rules of Sochi improvement, public activists have criticized such notions, included into the document, like "tree pruning and illumination" and the procedure of garbage collection. They demanded to hold a new hearing after the document is corrected. The Mayoralty promised to take remarks into account.

Employees of the "Nairit" Factory in Armenia have called on political parties to unite and solve the problems of the enterprise. They demand to urgently raise the "Nairit" issue and openly discuss it at Parliament with participation of workers of the factory.

After the death in the April war of Andranik Grigoryan, a private of the Defence Army, his family, which has four minors, remained living in a dilapidated house. Family members ask the authorities to help with house repairs or to provide them with some new housing. The Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Arutyunyan promised to solve the problem.

The Chechen village of Tsotsi-Yurt, where on January 11 five persons were killed in a shootout, saw no such incidents for the last 15 years. The previous major incident took place there in February 2002, when an armoured vehicle with militaries was blown up in the vicinity of the village.