News

On May 7 and 8, in Baku, the court sessions were held at the trial in the case against Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEMDT), and two other civil society activists. The court listened to the testimonies of 18 witnesses who did not testify about the commitment of any wrongdoing by the defendants.

Zarema Magomedova, a resident of Dagestani city of Izberbash, claims that staff members of the local GOVD (City Interior Division) forced her to give biological samples to determine her DNA against her will. According to the woman, apart from her, at least 15 persons were invited to the police station.

In Yerevan, the movement "DEM.AM" ("I'm against!") has held an action to protest against mandatory accumulative pension system. The protest procession was attended by several thousands of people.

In Makhachkala, Major of the FSB Department for Dagestan was killed as a result of an armed attack. This was reported by the Investigating Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Dagestan. The Major has become the eighth law enforcement officer killed in Dagestan since the beginning of 2014.

In the city of Khasavyurt in Dagestan, the advocate is not allowed to meet his clients – Sadiyat Arslanova and Aisha Abakarova, volunteers of the Charity Fund "Be merciful", who had been arrested for three days for disobeying the police.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan has invalidated the investigators' decision to stop the criminal case initiated against the policemen suspected of beating the lawyer Sapiyat Magomedova. This was announced today by the victim herself and confirmed by a source from the court office.

In Baku, activists of the human rights campaign "Art for Democracy" had to make a presentation of their report "Freedom of Artistic Expression in Azerbaijan: Creativity under Pressure" right in the street. Half an hour before the planned start of the event, the administration of the Central Park Hotel notified the organizers that it was impossible to rent a room there.

On May 7, the Urus-Martan City Court of Chechnya continued considering the criminal case initiated against Ruslan Kutaev, the President of the "Assembly of Caucasian Peoples", accused of drug possession. During the session, the court questioned first prosecution witnesses – policemen and witnesses who were present during the search.

On May 7, in the settlement-colony No. 2 of the Tambov Region, Evgeny Vitishko, a convicted activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch), was visited by activists and members of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of the Tambov Region. During the meeting, the activist gave Evgeny Vitishko about 400 letters and books.

Tonight, in Makhachkala, during the shootout that occurred at the crossing of Yaragsky and Irchi Kazak Streets, policemen have killed three members of illegal armed formations (IAFs). A passerby was wounded. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan.

Advocates of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of organizing the terror act in Boston, have appealed to the court and asked to ban reading out at the trial the testimony given by their client in the hospital. On May 7, the motion was filed to the federal court in Boston (Massachusetts).

In Nizhnevartovsk, fighters of the Special Rapid Response Unit (known as SOBR) have liberated five hostages captured by a man who opened fire on policemen. The assailant has been detained.

On May 6, in Tskhinvali, in front of the Temple of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, people held a mourning rally to pay tribute to the memory of the victims in the South-East of Ukraine and the victims killed in the assault of the Trade Unions House in Odessa.

In South Ossetia, the draft law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) adopted at first reading contains illogical and repressive provisions. This opinion was expressed by representatives of civil society.

The authorities of Azerbaijan should carry out a transparent investigation into the acts of violence against journalists that took place on May 6-7 in Baku. This was announced by Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

The advocates of the Dagestani teacher Gadjiaga Gadjiagaev, convicted for sexual assault against young pupils, intend to appeal against the verdict. According to their version, their client is innocent, while there exists common practice in Dagestan to fabricate criminal cases under the article of sexual assault.

Today, the Khasavyurt police detained Sadiyat Arslanova and Aisha Abakarova, residents of Makhachkala and volunteers of the Charitable Foundation "Be merciful".

Law enforcers of Azerbaijan ignore the demands for the return of foreign passports to the spouses Leyla and Arif Yunus, the lawyer Khalid Bagirov asserts.

The Turkish authorities worried over the murders of Muslim religious leaders committed in the Russian Caucasus, said Mehmet Germez, Head of the Department on Religious Affairs of Turkey.

On May 6, Azamat Akhkubekov, a defendant in the case dealing with the attack on Nalchik, was transferred from the dungeon into a prison cell. At the same time, he stopped his hunger strike, which lasted for 22 days, said Mustafa Taukenov, a representative of the Ombudsperson in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR).