News

Yerevan hosts the International Festival "Literary Ark-2014", which brings together poets and writers from 11 countries, including France, Italy, Croatia, Russia, Poland, the UK, and Denmark.

Today, Vladikavkaz has held the First Congress of Muslim Women of North Ossetia, which was attended by about 100 women. The Congress discussed the women's role in the society, problems of creating a family, fundamentals of marriage and the importance of wearing a headscarf.

Today, residents of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) celebrate the Adygs' Day for the first time. On the occasion, schools and other institutions where Saturday is a working day have a day-off.

Ilgar Nasibov, a human rights defender beaten in Nakhichevan has been charged with inflicting bodily harm to Farid Askerov. The activist believes that the charge against him is politically motivated and that it is filed to "neutralize him".

The case against Marina Baisultanova, a resident of Grozny, accused of severe beating of her stepdaughter, after which the girl fell into a coma, is sent to the court. Marina Baisultanova also faces charges of beating the older sister of the victim.

Oppositional politicians and civil society activists in Azerbaijan welcome the resolution of the European Parliament (EP) calling on the country's authorities to stop pressure on those who criticize the government critics and release the arrested rights defenders. For the first time ever, a document of the European Union has voiced the idea of using sanctions against the Azerbaijani officials responsible for human rights violations, says the opposition.

The house of an entrepreneur, director of one of bus stations of Makhachkala, was attacked by unidentified shooters from a grenade launcher. The incident occurred in the evening on September 19.

Tatiana Borisova, an activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch) has held a solo picket in Krasnodar in support of the ecologist Evgeny Vitishko, convicted for damaging the fence around the premise, known as "summer cottage" of Alexander Tkachov, the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory.

Activists of the public movement "Volgograd Parents for Children's Rights" have sent an appeal to 48 deputies of the Volgograd City Duma, claiming the catastrophic situation in kindergartens.

Radjab Mustafaev, who was killed in the village of Semender on September 2, was not a member of an illegal armed formation (IAF). However, investigators refuse to give out his body for burial, the mother of the deceased man states.

Dagestani journalists support the demand expressed by the international human rights organization "Article 19", which calls on the authorities of the Russian Federation to resume the investigation into the murder of Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A picket in support of Evgeny Vitishko, a convicted member of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch), was held by members of the "Yabloko" Party within the "Week of Actions". According to the party's plan, during a week, in several Russian cities, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Krasnodar, "Yabloko" activists and other supporters of Vitishko held rallies and solo pickets demanding Vitishko's immediate release.

Musanip Ramazanov has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his son Zarkipli Ramazanov was kidnapped in Makhachkala by some strangers. The father has turned to the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) for help, stating that the kidnapping took place in Dzerzhinsky Street, near the place where Zarkipli works.

As reported by Vladimir Postanyuk, an advocate of Said Amirov, the dismissed Mayor of Makhachkala, who was convicted for plotting a terror act, a complaint against Amirov's verdict will be lodged to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

On September 14, in Chechnya, observers from the Association "Golos" (Vote) were not removed from polling stations, as it was allegedly prescribed by the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) in the document, a photocopy of which was posted in the Internet, the Republic's Prosecutor's Office said today.

500 young men from Chechnya are expected to be called to military service in the Russian Army. The Chechen authorities do not rule out that the number of recruits will grow over the years.

According to local residents, the situation in the Untsukul District of Dagestan is quiet; however, the closure of the Gimry Tunnel by law enforcers in the search for militants creates great inconvenience for residents of the Untsukul District.

Members of the opposition parties report on a large number of violations in connection with the early voting committed in the course of the elections to the Elista City Council held on September 14.

In Sochi, participants of public hearings speak against the proposal to withdraw the status of protected areas from 28 natural monuments. It was stated at the hearing that the Sochi natural monuments were subjected to deliberate destruction.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a native of Chechnya, suspected of involvement in the terror act in Boston, is to appear at the trial, the prosecutor has states. The victims of the terror act supported the request of the Prosecutor's Office.