News

In Azerbaijan, local security agents have disrupted the meeting of Ali Kerimli, the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), with a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who came to Baku to hold a session of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe).

Residents of the city of Derbent have reported on the long-lasting shooting, evacuation of a residential neighbourhood and electricity cut-off during the special operation, held in Derbent at night of June 26.

The final cost of the programme of preparation to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games has amounted to 1.524 trillion roubles, including VAT. This was announced by the statement of operations for 2013, published by the state corporation "Olimpstroy".

As of the morning of July 1, 5080 Ukrainian refugees were already sent from the Rostov Region to the other regions of southern Russia. This was reported by the Regional Ministry for Emergencies (MfE).

On June 30, in central Tbilisi, near the building of the government's chancellery, a protest action was held under the motto "To Europe without political persecutions!" The action was attended by several hundred supporters of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party dissatisfied with the call for questioning of the former Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava.

In Sochi, about 100 residents of the village of Mirny have appealed to the City Mayor and the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory with a request to open access to the beaches of the Imereti Lowland for residents and guests of the resort during the summer season.

The Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) has adopted a number of amendments to the draft resolution on access to justice, rule of law and political prisoners.

The Nalchik City Court has sentenced Andzor Akhokhov, a resident of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), an organizer of the action against the 2014 Olympic Games, who was accused of illegal possession of ammunition, to six months of conditional sentence.

Orkhan Zeinalov, a native of Azerbaijan, accused of the murder of Yegor Scherbakov, a resident of Moscow District of Biryulyovo, has pleaded not guilty in the Moscow City Court. However, the defendant has claimed he understands the indictment filed against him.

Salikh Gadjiev, the head of the Dagestani office of the Committee against Corruption, has addressed a letter to Ramazan Shakhnavazov, Prosecutor of the Republic of Dagestan. In his letter, Salikh Gadjiev has reported on biased scoring at the Unified State Exam (USE), which was passed by his son Magomed Gadjiev.

During the week from June 23 to June 29, 2014, at least nine people suffered from the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, including seven casualties and two wounded persons. These are the results of the calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Alexandra Pakhmutova, Andrei Eshpay, Alexander Sokolov and other famous Russian composers and musicologists have sent a letter in defence of the current national anthem of Dagestan to the head of the republic Ramzan Abdulatipov, who had offered to adopt a new version of the anthem.

The construction of Olympic facilities on artificial embankments caused a permanent threat of flooding in the Sochi micro-district named Mirny, say locals. The Sochi Mayoralty says that they prepare compensations to owners of damaged houses.

Georgia's signs the Association Agreement with the EU; pleadings at the Rostov-on-Don Court in Said Amirov's case; appointment of Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan; first candidates for the post of President of Abkhazia; scheduling of the date for the election of the leader of Kabardino-Balkaria; withdrawal of the licence of the Vladikavkaz bank "Dig-Bank", – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of June 23-29, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The verdict passed in the case of beating up Pavel Solovyov, a builder of Olympic facilities in Sochi, where an ex-policeman Sergey Kuznetsov was the defendant, has been appealed against, said the Solovyov's advocate.

Ecologist Evgeny Vitishko has filed a complaint to the Prosecutor's Office of the Tambov Region. In his complaint, the ecologist has pointed out to themassive violations ofthe prisoners' rights. This was reported by the pressservice of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch).

On June 29, the fasting of Ramadan was started by most Muslims of the southern regions of Russia, including Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, and other regions.

Azerbaijan still faces problems with freedom of speech, barriers for activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and political prisoners. This was stated by rapporteurs at the special hearings organized under the 23rd session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA).

In Sochi, 20 persons took part in the seminar "Fundamentals of legal security for activists, journalists, and bloggers" held on June 28. The event was held with the support of the interregional association of the human rights organizations "AGORA" and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

The checkpoint "Gukovo" in the Rostov Region, which was hit by a shell from the territory of Ukraine, had to evacuate about 30 citizens of Ukraine, said Andrei Belyaev, the head of the Rostov Customs.