News

The advocate of Muslim Ataev, a resident of the village of Tarki, who was detained on May 28, has managed to meet his client in the Kirov ROVD (District Interior Division) of Makhachkala, after which the lawyer stated that the detainee had been exposed to illegal methods of investigation.

Today, Aynur Imranova, an investigative journalist, whose bank accounts were arrested by a court ruling, was questioned at the Investigating Department for Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan as a witness in a criminal case initiated "against a number of local and international non-governmental organizations."

Residents of Chechnya assert that during the last 24 hours bodies of several dozens of locals who took part in fights in Ukraine and perished in the Donetsk Region, where brought home, citing the number from 35 to 40-45.

The Circassian activists Aslan Shazzo, Adnan Khuade, Evgeny Tashu and Ilyas Soobtsokov, who live in Adygea, were summoned to the Centre for Combating Extremism (known as "E" Centre) of the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to their story, the talks there concerned the appeal to the authorities of Ukraine urging to recognize the genocide of Circassians, which was signed by them.

In Rostov-on-Don, at the trial in the case against Said Amirov, former Mayor of Makhachkala dismissed from office, accused of plotting a terror act, an expert in psychiatry has concluded that several prosecution witnesses were subjected to psychological traumatic impact. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the courtroom.

Ten natives of Dagestan, who were allegedly plotting a subversive and terror act in the Moscow Region during the Victory Day celebrations, were detained in the Moscow Region in the place of their residence. This has been reported today by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

In Azerbaijan, the public movement "Republican Alternative" (ReAl) has begun the process of transformation into a political party with the same name. The "ReAl" sees its programme goal in the transformation of Azerbaijan from a presidential into a parliamentary republic, construction of democratic society, and, in the future, Azerbaijan's integration into the EU and NATO.

In the village of Gergebil in Dagestan, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at the gate of the house belonging to the director of the power supply organization of the Gergebil District. This has been reported today by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan.

On May 28, in the centre of Tbilisi, organizations within the coalition "Eurasian Choice-Georgia" held a rally demanding to restore diplomatic relations with Russia. During the rally, members of the coalition clashed with supporters of the Euro-Atlantic choice of Georgia.

In Dagestan, relatives of Muslim Ataev, 31, a resident of the township Tarki in Makhachkala, who disappeared today, have turned to the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) asking to help to find his whereabouts. The Makhachkala GOVD (City Interior Division) denies Ataev's detention.

During the armed clash on May 27 in the Lugansk Region near the Rostov section of the Ukrainian-Russian border, five attackers were killed and one wounded. Three Ukrainian border guards were seriously wounded, said Nikolai Litvin, the Chairman of the State Frontier Service (SFS) of Ukraine.

The opposition prevents broadcasting of the Abkhaz State Television and Radio Company (ASTRC), journalists report. In his turn, President Alexander Ankvab has also announced an actual capture of the TV Company.

Today, the Federation Council has approved the law providing that the Ministry of Justice is entitled to include non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the register of "foreign agents" at its own discretion. It should be noted that in the Southern Federal District (SFD) and the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), there is a number of NGOs recognized as "foreign agents", which, however, refuse to get registered in that status.

Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has condemned the conviction of Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies (EMDC), to 5.5 years in prison. In this context, Mr Lenarčič has expressed his concern about the state of things with fundamental rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan.

In Abkhazia, the media disseminated the statement made by President Alexander Ankvab, where he claims that he is in the republic. He states that he treats the incident of the last night as an attempt of a coup d'etat and that he refutes the information about resignation of the government, the General Prosecutor and the heads of two districts.

Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the leader of Ingushetia, has warned parents and relatives of members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) that they will be punished in case if they do not persuade their children on the wanted list to surrender. Meanwhile, Ingush President has promised that all militants who come to surrender will be sentenced to minimum penalties.

In Volgograd, parents of pupils of primary schools-kindergartens of compensating type for children with visual impairment No. 2 and No. 8 are concerned about the planned closure of the educational institutions. According to the parents, the closure of the above educational institutions will infringe the rights of their children.

In Azerbaijan, upon the expiration of his administrative arrest, Orkhan Eyubzade, an activist of the "Musavat" Party, was brought to criminal responsibility. The activist is accused of using violence against the police.

On May 26, the Adler District Court of Sochi found Sergey Kuznetsov, a former inspector of the patrol-and-post service (known as PPS), guilty of beating Pavel Solovyov, a builder at Olympic facilities. The Court has sentenced Sergey Kuznetsov to 3.5 years of imprisonment and obliged him to pay a fine. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Khalid Bagirov, an advocate of Abdula Abilov, a creator of the "Stop toadies!" Facebook group, who had been sentenced in Azerbaijan to 5.5 years of imprisonment on charges of drug trafficking, announces the intention to file an appeal against the verdict.