News

The family of the journalist Rasim Aliev, who died after beating up in Azerbaijan, disagrees with the qualification of the criminal case under the article of "Deliberate infliction of grievous bodily harm." According to lawyer Asabali Mustafaev, "there are attributes of a murder in this crime."

Yerevan activists report that the civil initiative "No to robbery!" and the movement "Arise, Armenia!" have decided to hold joint protest actions. Meanwhile, Armenian experts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", believe that these actions will have small audiences and bring no success, until and unless activists formulate their clear goal.

Iraqi Yazidi refugees have been accommodated in the city Zvartnots, in the Armavir Region. The housing for the refugees was provided by a Yazidi businessman Mirza Sloyan, who lives in Moscow and heads the public organization "Ezidkhan".

Oleg Khamitsev, a defendant in the case of customized murders, has been sentenced to life imprisonment; other figurants will lose their freedom for the term of 16-22 years.

The two policemen from Dagestan, who posted a video of questioning their colleagues from Chechnya on the Internet, have lost their jobs for slandering the honour of a law enforcer.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) finds any interference in the work of the court and attempts to politicize the verdict to Khadija Ismayilova, a journalist of the Azerbaijani bureau of "Radio Liberty" unacceptable, Khikmet Gadjiev, the press secretary of the MFA, has stated today. The USA, UK and EU, have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider the journalist's case and release her.

Till present, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has not put on the wanted list Sagid Murtazaliev, the head of the Dagestani branch of the Russian Pension Fund. The relevant promise was voiced by Vladimir Markin, Spokesman of the ICRF, more than one month ago.

Anatoly Chubais, the director of the "RUSNANO", has recommended Boris Nemtsov's daughter to replace her lawyer because of his position on questioning Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. This became known after Anatoly Chubais had made public his correspondence with Zhanna Nemtsova, a daughter of the murdered politician.

At night of August 31, Chechnya held a sudden operational readiness test of the regional branch of the OMON (riot police) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). This was announced by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov at his page on the social network "VKontakte".

At the court session, a resident of Grozny, a defendant in the case of a road traffic accident in Moscow, which killed a biker, claimed he had fallen asleep while driving the car. He admitted his guilt and announced his willingness to pay compensation to family members of the deceased biker until the end of his life.

In Azerbaijan, journalist Sevinc Vagifgyzy was questioned at the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) in the country in connection with her covering the protest action in the city of Mingachevir. According to the journalist, investigators were also interested in the activities of the "Meydan TV" online TV Channel.

In Yerevan, the march in support of detained activists of the civil movement "Arise, Armenia!" has finished without any incidents. According to organizers, the protest action was attended by more than 200 people.

Today, Yerevan has hosted two parallel actions against the increase of electricity tariff. In Bagramyan Avenue, members of the group "No to robbery!" were protesting. Some 7-8 demonstrators were detained, but soon they were released by the police. At the same time, the movement "Arise, Armenia!" tried to pull policemen off Bagramyan Avenue by organizing another rally in Republic Square.

The sentence imposed on Khadija Ismayilova is politically motivated and aimed at intimidating activists and independent journalists in Azerbaijan, declare the statements of the officials of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and international human rights organizations.

The punishment of those responsible for the deaths of hostages in the Beslan terror act should be a guarantee that such a tragedy will never happen again, believe the members of the committee "Mothers of Beslan". They expect the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to decide on the complaint of the victims of the terror act within the coming six months.

Until now, two suspected militants shot dead during the counterterrorist operation (CTO), conducted in the Magaramkent District of Dagestan, have not been identified. Investigators have appointed a molecular-genetic examination.

Today, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes has sentenced Khadija Ismayilova, a reporter of the "Radio Liberty" in Azerbaijan, to 7.5 years of deprivation of freedom.

Over the past year, the number of Russians convinced that special services knew about the terror acts committed in 1999-2005 in Beslan, Moscow and Volgodonsk has decreased. This was indicated by the polling conducted by the "Levada Centre".

On September 1, North Ossetia is holding mourning events of those who perished in the terror act committed in Beslan 11 years ago. According to the republic's MIA, over 3000 people came to the yard of School No. 1.

Young people from Shelkovskoy District, detained at the Russian border on suspicion of trying to go to Syria to participate in the warfare, became figurants of criminal cases about participation in illegal armed formations (IAFs).