News

Within the past six months, the list run by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" of the persons deprived of freedom for political reasons, has went up to 87 persons. Out of 45 new political prisoners, five are natives of Northern Caucasus and Southern Federal District (SFD), or those, convicted in these regions.

On May 24, Yerevan hosted an action initiated by women-activists: one of them – Anna Shakhnazaryan – climbed up into a stone structure of "Singing Fountains" in Republic Square, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar has sentenced Nina Solovyova, an LGBT activist, to 10 days of administrative arrest on the charge of Nazi propaganda after she reposted on her page in a social network a video criticizing the actions of the Russian authorities in Ukraine. Today, the Krasnodar Regional Court has upheld the decision of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar.

Nadezhda Savchenko, a Ukrainian aviator, sentenced in Russia to imprisonment, has left the airport of Rostov-on-Don on the plane. She flew to Ukraine, the Reuters reports.

The criminal case against student Alexandra Ivanova (Varvara Karaulova), accused of an attempt to join the banned terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS), is fabricated, and the investigators' position is not supported by evidence. This opinion was voiced by human rights defender Ernst Chorny, who asked to release Varvara Karaulova under his guarantee.

In Dagestan, the primaries of the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia) Party did not show the level of support for candidates among voters because of the use of administrative resource. This opinion was expressed by participants of the project "Games of Journalists" in Dagestan on May 21. According to them, the "Edinaya Rossiya" Party has always used the administrative resource in the course of intra-party voting for the selection of candidates, as well as for the increase in the turnout during the voting.

In the Krasnodar Territory, the commission established under the regional administration to inspect the housing facilities of the Olympic heritage has held an inspection in Sochi. Officials have reported they will be able to prepare answers concerning only the use of housing facilities transferred to the balance of Sochi or the Krasnodar Territory. The fate of apartment houses and cottages remaining in the federal or departmental property remains unknown.

On May 24, Bairam Mamedov and Giyas Ibragimov, youth activists, arrested in Azerbaijan, were questioned by an official of the Baku Prosecutor's Office in connection with their complaints about torture. According to their advocate, the young people complained about the distortion of their testimonies.

Khabas Kugotov, a resident of the village of Svetlovodskoe, Zolsky District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), born in 1989, has stated that power agents had tortured him and forced to incriminate himself.

Today, several militants have mined a relay tower in the Shamil District, and then shelled a police unit; no one of the policemen suffered, according to Dagestani law enforcement sources.

The ban to leave Azerbaijan, imposed on the journalist and rights defender Elchin Mamed, was unlawful; his rights were also violated after his detention in May 2015, a court in Baku has judged.

Today, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow has extended by two months the arrest of the student Alexandra Ivanova (Varvara Karaulova), accused of trying to join the banned terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS).

The Ukrainian military Nadezhda Savchenko has paid the fine of 30,000 roubles, imposed on her for her illegal crossing the border; however, the process of giving her to Ukraine goes slowly, said the advocate lawyer Nikolai Polozov.

The Azerbaijani Supreme Court has commuted the sentence pronounced against Faradj Kerimli, an activist of the "Musavat" Party, from 6.5 to 3 years of imprisonment. The verdict against his brother Siradj Kerimli is upheld. The defence intends to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Today, at the court session, a public prosecutor has asked the court to sentence Ukrainian citizens Stanislav Klykh and Nikolai Karpyuk to 22 and 22.5 years of imprisonment in a penal colony, respectively.

The policeman, in whose house, according to investigators, an arsenal of firearms was discovered, was involved in a group of Ingush residents detained on suspicion of having connections with the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS). This was stated by investigators.

Shortly before the assassination of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, his killers three times contacted each other via mobile phones, the "Rosbalt" reports with reference to a source familiar with the situation. According to the source, the investigators revealed that a week before the assassination, the criminals changed their SIM cards and mobile phones.

At the exhibition entitled "Circassian Theatre. Revived Album" and held in Nalchik, the Art Centre of Madina Saralp and the National Museum of Adygea have presented photographs of old albums released in memory of the Circassian charitable evenings held in the early 20th century.

On May 22, in the Astrakhan Region, the primaries (intra-party voting) of the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia) Party were held in 115 polling stations. According to organizers, 7.79% of the total number of voters took part in the vote.

An examination of fingerprints on bags with narcotic drugs in the case of Bairam Mamedov and Giyas Ibragimov, who were detained after the appearance of graffiti on the monument to Geidar Aliev in Baku, will prove their innocence, the advocate believes.