News

On October 1, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) considered the report on the situation in Georgia. During the debates, participants of the PACE session claimed that the Georgian authorities use "politically motivated justice".

In Tbilisi, David Gogokhiya, an activist of NGO "Free Zone", was detained at the place where journalist Zaza Davitaya was beating. He was brought to the police station and beaten by law enforcers. This was reported by Georgy Oniani, an advocate of the activist.

Last night, the office of the NGO "Free Zone" in Tbilisi was attacked by about 40-50 persons. The mob, armed with sticks, attacked the office around midnight on September 30, said Gela Vasadze, the Chairman of the Board of the "Free Zone".

Today, about 60 people gathered in 200 Years of Stavropol Square to hold a picket against the felling of the Taman Forest in connection with the plans to build a perinatal centre there. They demand to hold public hearings on the construction project.

This afternoon, law enforcers have detained Kurban Kurbanov, the head of the administration of the Derbent District of Dagestan, said the spokesman of the Investigating Department for the Republic of Dagestan (RD) of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

The Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has broken the principle of presumption of innocence by accusing Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of "Tsegakron" Party, of committing a crime, said the protesters who held their action in Yerevan.

On September 30, the advocates Anar Gasymly, Alaif Gasanov and Fariz Namazly were not admitted by the personnel of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) to Intigam Aliev, the head of the Legal Education Society. The lawyers said that investigators decided to attract them to Aliev's case as witnesses.

Today, ten residents of the city of Zverevo, Rostov Region, have announced an indefinite hunger strike demanding the restart of suspended payments of benefits for housing and communal services, Valery Dyakonov, a member of the initiative group of Zverevo residents and a Deputy of the City Duma, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The investigation into the criminal case on beating of Sapiyat Magomedova by policemen has been reopened at her request. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Sapiyat Magomedova herself.

The Rostov Region has organized high-level assistance for temporary migrants from the territory of Ukraine, and refugees are provided with all the necessary things. This was reported by Baisa Vak-Voya, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Russia, when he was summing up the results of his three-day visit to the Rostov Region.

Today, Chechnya, like all other regions of Russia, has launched the process of recruiting young men for military service. For the first time over past 22 years, 500 recruits will be called for military service in the Russian Armed Forces from the Chechen Republic.

The Gimry Tunnel will not be opened for traffic until October 5 because of the special operation. This was reported by an official from the Operative Headquarters of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) in Dagestan.

In the village of Vremenny of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, law enforcers used heavy vehicles to destroy facilities for livestock and garden plots where villagers were cultivating crops for personal needs. This has been told today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by a woman from the village of Vremenny.

Late in the evening of September 30, Zaza Davitaya, a journalist of the Georgian newspaper "Asaval-Dasavali", was beaten in the capital of Georgia. The journalist was taken to hospital with serious injuries. According to colleagues of the victim, Zaza Davitaya was attacked by a group of young people of about 10 persons.

The participants of the today's rally in Volgograd "For Fair Elections" have adopted a resolution on the violation of their electoral rights and collected 200 signatures in support of the ex-candidate for the Regional Duma Natalia Latyshevskaya.

Today, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime, introduced on September 27 on the border of the Kazbek and Gumbet Districts regions of Dagestan in connection with a search of militants, has been cancelled, the republic's operative headquarters said.

Six convicted activists of the "Nida" Movement have appealed to President Ilham Aliev asking to release them from prison; namely, Rashadat Akhundov, Rashad Gasanov, Uzeyir Mamedli, Zaur Gurbanly, Mamed Azizov and Ilkin Rustamzade write in their appeal that "when at large, they can make for good to their country."

The human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has called on media editions in Russia and other countries to support, on October 7, the international action in memory of Anna Politkovskaya. According to the AI, since Anna Politkovskaya's murder, despite the sentencing in her case, "Russian authorities have done in fact nothing to protect journalists."

In the Krasnodar Territory, Sergey Titarenko, a public activist from the Dinskaya District, a member of the movement "Solidarity", has been detained on suspicion of inciting extremist activity. Like Darya Polyudova, who has been arrested earlier, Sergey Titarenko is being kept at the FSB SIZO (pre-trial prison).

Today, the Krasnodar Regional Court has upheld the verdict against Mikhail Savva, Professor of the Kuban State University, who was sentenced on charge of fraud. The Court has dismissed the appeals filed by the defence and by Mikhail Savva himself. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by advocate Marina Dubrovina.