News

Paruyr Airikyan, the leader of the "National Self-Determination" Party, has explained his break with the "New Armenia" and "No" Front by the fact that, in his opinion, the opposition is split and its certain forces cannot get consolidated.

In her complaint lodged to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), journalist Ani Gevorkyan appealed against the decision of the court in Armenia to stop the criminal case on the use of violence against her by policemen.

This morning, a convoy of passenger cars with 15 trucks from the Volgograd Region has left the parking lot at the Kashira Highway in Moscow for the town of Khimki in suburb of Moscow, where other protesters against the introduction of the system "Platon" parked their vehicles. The purpose of this trip was to support "their unfortunate colleagues," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Vladimir, a carrier from Volgograd.

The Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has stopped the criminal case initiated against the local resident, who was killed by power agents in 2011 and charged with assaulting policemen. The court refused to rehabilitate the men, as his relatives had requested.

In Astrakhan, the criminal case has been instituted against 27-year-old Maya Duisengalieva, suspected of providing financial assistance to supporters of radical Islamism. The woman has been put on the international wanted list.

On December 7, in Yerevan, supporters of the front "No!" gathered at Freedom Square. They demanded to recognize as null and void the results of the referendum on the constitutional reform. According to the organizers, the rally was attended by about 3000 people.

Journalist organizations of Armenia have demanded to find and punish persons guilty of the use of violence against members of the media during the referendum on constitutional reform. According to the preliminary data of the above organizations, at least 15 journalists suffered.

In Armenia, the referendum on constitutional reform was accompanied by pressure on observers and all types of violations. This was stated by members of observer organizations interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". They have questioned the official results of the referendum.

One of the protesters has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that drivers of 50 heavy-duty vehicles continue their protest near Khasavyurt: "Most of them went to hold protest in Moscow. There are at least 200 trucks from Dagestan there; and we continue standing and waiting here."

The pleadings at the trial of the case of the Krasnodar activist Darya Polyudova were held today at the Oktiabrskiy District Court of Krasnodar. Prosecutors demanded to sentence her to 3.5 years in a settlement-colony, Andrei Sabinin, a Polyudova's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The defence, in its turn, has stated at the pleadings that Polyudova is tried for "expressing her thoughts", and she is not guilty of the alleged crimes.

Today, the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA) has begun considering on the merits the appeal complaint lodged by Leyla and Arif Yunus. During the session Leyla was inside a glass cage; she looked highly exhausted and pale. Arif was sitting in the courtroom next to their advocates, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Today, the Oppositional Front "New Armenia" has held a rally in Freedom Square. Opposition activists stated that the authorities used their administrative resources during the December 6 referendum on constitutional reforms.

Drivers of heavy-duty trucks intend to set up a trade union to protect their rights, said Alexei Ulyanov, an activist from Volgograd. According to his story, truckers from Volgograd took part in the rally near Moscow, which decided to hold an inaugural conference, elect the union leader and to form trade union units in regions.

The initiative "Citizen Observer" of the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Centre has published an interim report on the constitutional referendum held in Armenia. At the referendum, 88 violations were recorded at the opening of precincts, about 319 incidents were recorded during the course of the voting, and in 82 episodes observers were subjected to pressure.

Parents of a 16-year-old teenager, who died in the Belorechensk juvenile correctional colony, were able to get his son's body only after they had written a statement renouncing the funeral in the KrasnodarTerritory, the "Novaya Gazeta" reports. According to the newspaper, warders of the juvenile correctional colony beat the sentenced citizen of Ukraine more severe than other inmates.

In the criminal case on the murder of Khadis Bottaev in Kabardino-Balkaria, investigators check the version suggesting that the murder is connected with the Khadis Bottaev's activities at his post of the chief doctor of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic's Clinical Hospital.

Referendum on draft constitutional reforms in Armenia; protest of truckers from Volgograd Region in Moscow suburb; murder of Chief Physician of Republic's Hospital in Kabardino-Balkaria, –see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of November 30-December 6, 2015, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Armenian Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the processing of ballots from all the polling stations of the country. According to the preliminary information, 825,622 voters, or 63.35%, gave their voices in favour of the constitutional reform. This was reported by Tigran Mukuchyan, Chairman of the Armenian CEC.

During the week of November 30-December 6, 2015, three persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, two persons were killed, and one person was wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

In the course of the referendum, ballot stuffing took place, election commission suspended their work, and cases of re-voting also occurred. This was reported by Levon Zurabyan, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), the head of the headquarters of the front "No!".