News

In the course of special operations conducted in Northern Caucasus this year, law enforcers have eliminated 158 active militants, including 25 militants' leaders. This was reported by Alexander Bortnikov, the Chairman of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC).

In Georgia, former President Mikhail Saakashvili is charged with embezzlement of budget funds amounting to more than 8.8 million laris (more than 5 million US dollars), the Georgian General Prosecutor's Office reports.

In Dagestan, Police Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Kislitsky, who was dismissed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for driving in state of alcoholic intoxication, appealed to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office to investigate the circumstances that led to his dismissal.

In the Sarajevo Airport, the police have arrested Khabib Khabibov, included in the international wanted list, the "Kommersant" reports with reference to a source from the law enforcement bodies. The Russian investigating authorities treat him as active militant and accuse him of promoting terrorism.

The Tlyarata District Court has sentenced Akhmed Akhmedov, a resident of the village of Kitlyarata of the Tsuntin District, to two years of imprisonment in a penal colony for involvement in an illegal armed formation (IAF), the Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan reports.

After August 9, a decline in the number of violation of the ceasefire is observed on the contact line of the armed forces of the sides involved in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. This was reported by the Ministries of Defence of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has recognized Intigam Aliev, the head of the Legal Education Society, who was arrested in Azerbaijan, a "prisoner of conscience" and stated that he is being prosecuted for defending human rights.

The court has extended for one month the arrest of Isa Abdulkadyrov, a resident of the village of Nechaevka, suspected of illegal possession of weapons, his advocate Arsen Radjabov reports.

The Azerbaijani Sheki Court of Appeal (CoA) has begun considering on the merits the appeal complaint lodged by the persons convicted on charges of initiating mass riots in the city of Ismayilly. In the course of the session, the court dismissed all the advocates' petitions.

The Organizing Committee (OC) "Sochi-2014", which was engaged in organizing the 22nd Winter Olympic Games, has announced the start of the commission to liquidate it as a legal entity.

On August 11, Igor and Batyr Pukhaev, kept in the temporary isolation facility (known as IVS) in Tskhinvali and accused of treason and a coup d'etat attempt, were taken to the Republic's Somatic Hospital (RSH) with cut wounds of the abdomen.

In Azerbaijan, the Court has completed the consideration of the appeal filed by Nidjat Guliev, the former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, who was sentenced to three years of imprisonment on charges of drug possession.

In Azerbaijan, Murad Adilov has been detained on suspicion of illegal possessing drugs. He is a brother of Natiq Adilov, a journalist of the newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom) and a presenter of the on-line programme "Azerbaijani Hour" broadcasted on the website of the above opposition newspaper.

One of the victims of the explosion at a fuelling station in Makhachkala has died in hospital, the Burn Centre of the Dagestani National Clinical Hospital reports.

The Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) has drafted a decision on resettling Ukrainian refugees from the temporary accommodation centres (TACs) located in the overpopulated regions of Russia to those subjects of the Federation, where they could find employment.

On August 11, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" published a new updated list of persons recognized as political prisoners. At present, the list has been expanded from 40 up to 45 persons, including, in particular, Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the Assembly of Peoples of the Caucasus.

According to Armen Kaprielyan, a member of the Committee on prisoners of war (POWs) under the Government of Armenia, a criminal case will be instituted to reveal the cause of the death of Karen Petrosyan, and a number of examinations will be appointed.

South Ossetia should fix humanitarian relations with Georgia, Andrei Epifantsev, the head of the analytical agency "Alte Et Certe", said at an international scientific and practical conference on August 9 in Tskhinvali. However, his opinion was not shared by other participants.

On August 11, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the former leader of Kalmykia, was re-elected as President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). His main opponent was Garry Kasparov, the 13th World Chess Champion, a Russian opposition politician.

The Council of Europe (CoE) and Azerbaijani authorities have agreed to re-establish a working group to address the release of persons recognized as political prisoners by local human rights defenders. The offer to take part in the re-establishing working group has already been sent to the Azerbaijani human rights defenders.