News

Azerbaijani border guards did not let Elchin Mamed, a journalist and public activist, out of the country without explaining the reasons, and took away his passport. This was reported by the journalist himself, who intends to challenge this decision in court.

In its second note of protest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia demands from the Russian Federation to observe its international obligations and not to create a threat of destabilization on the Georgian-South Ossetian border.

Today, the Armenia city of Gyumri has started hearing the case of Valery Permyakov, a soldier of the 102nd Russian military base, accused of desertion and execution of Avetisyan family.

In the opinion of experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", the resignation of Imam Yaraliev from the post of the Mayor of Derbent was expected and became a result of the policy aimed to improve the governance and strengthen the control over local authorities, pursued by federal authorities and the head of Dagestan.

A military leader may head "Imarat Kavkaz" (IK), recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia, since there are no influential religious leaders in it. The number of known candidates for the post is getting still smaller, said the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The mother of Magomed Karakhanov, who went missing on May 6 in Dagestan, has turned to the police of Derbent asking to hand the case of searching for his son to another investigator. According to her story, the current investigator is inactive.

The ruling of the Sochi District Court about a three-day arrest of Anna Gritsevich, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, on charges of disobeying police, has been upheld today by the Krasnodar Territorial Court. Anna's advocates now intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

On August 10, residents of the village of Korkmaskala blocked a highway in Dagestan in protest against the decision to arrest the head of their village Rustam Akaev, suspected of a robbery. Armed power agents arrived at the venue and began beating the protesters.

All the four casualties of the special operation in the Untsukul District of Dagestan have been identified. Apart from Magomed Suleimanov, the leader of "Imarat Kavkaz"; Kamil Saidov, the head of "Vilayat Dagestan" and Abdul Abdulaev, Omar Suleimanov was also killed, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has reported.

The parties to the conflict in South Ossetia are unable to conduct an objective investigation into the events of 2008; it should be done by a prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Simon Papuashvili, a rights defender, said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot".

Relatives of Magomed Gaikuev, a resident of the village of Andi in Dagestan, who returned home after a week in detention, find any attempts to turn to law enforcement bodies with complaints about his torture senseless.

As a result of a special operation in the Untsukul District of Dagestan, power agents killed Magomed Suleimanov, the leader of "Imarat Kavkaz", recognized as a terrorist organization, the "LifeNews" reports referring to its law enforcement source.

Imam Yaraliev, the head of the municipal formation "City of Derbent" has resigned, a source from the city administration told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The decision was made after the meeting of the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov with Vladimir Putin.

Shadid Gubashev, one of those accused of the murder of Boris Nemtsov, has withdrawn his earlier confessions and asked to question him again, said a source close to the investigation.

Tatiana Kryuchkina, a colleague of the deceased Azerbaijani journalist Rasim Aliyev at the NGO "Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety" (IRFS), does not rule out that he had been beaten up out of revenge for his journalistic activities.

The civil movement "Arise, Armenia!" has spread an appeal demanding from the authorities to release political prisoners, stop political persecution and undertake a number of reforms in the country. Activists also demanded resignation of the president and high-ranking officials.

Rustam Gabibov, accused of killing a resident of Dagestan, was transferred for several days from SIZO-1 (pre-trial prison) of Nalchik to the IVS (temporary detention centre) of the capital of the KBR, after which he was brought back, said his advocate Sapiyat Magomedova.

At the today's session of the court, where the case of the Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova is considered, the victim Tural Mustafaev has confessed that he had slandered the defendant. The court, however, has rejected the motion of the defence to deprive Mustafaev of the status of victim.

Inoyat Tabukhov, who was killed during a shootout in Nalchik on August 8, had been the leader of the "central sector" of the armed underground in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), operating in Nalchik and adjacent districts.

Employees of SIZO (pre-trial prison) No. 2 "Lefortovo" have served an act to Zaur Dadaev about confiscation of an encrypted letter that arrived at the SIZO on August 3, said the advocate Shamsudin Tsakaev, adding that Dadaev, who is accused of murdering Boris Nemtsov, had not seen the letter.