News

MCC announces guilty verdict to figurants in Anna Politkovskaya's murder case; municipal elections in Georgia; voting results at the parliamentary elections in South Ossetia; announcement of date of parliamentary elections in KChR and KBR, and elections of governors of the Astrakhan Region and Stavropol Territory; celebrations and protests on the Day of Russia; heavy rains and floods in the Krasnodar Territory, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of June 9-15, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

During the week of June 9-15, 2014, 12 persons were killed and 2 persons were wounded in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The districts of Georgia with compact residences of national minorities, including in the Pankisi Gorge, show low turnout at the elections to the local self-administration bodies of Georgia. This was reported by the NGO "Human Rights Centre".

At night on Sunday, June 15, a motorcade of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party was attacked by unidentified hooligans who threw stones at the cars. Four activists of the party were taken to hospital, said a UNM source.

The asphalt factory was built in the protection zone of the Park "Southern Plantings"; and its operation causes a significant damage to the environment, state the locals, who signed an appeal to the Russian State Duma with a demand to stop the factory.

Relatives have identified the body found near the Stepnov check-post in the Stavropol Territory as Zamir Taibov, a resident of the aul of Tukui-Mekteb, who was considered kidnapped since June 13.

The problems of human rights violations and restrictions on democratic freedoms in Azerbaijan were discussed at today's meeting in Baku of the head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso with civil society activists.

Today, the city of Budyonnovsk in the Stavropol Territory has held mourning events dedicated to the tragic events of June 1995. The actions were held near the building of the local OVD (Interior Division), in Memory Mini-Park and at the monument to fallen helicopter pilots, while the city temples conducted requiem services.

A lawsuit was lodged in Azerbaijan against Zabil Mugabiloglu, the editor-in-chief of the new website "Gunxeber.com" and the newspaper "Yeni Musavat". The journalist is accused of defamation and faces up to three years of imprisonment.

Today, residents of the Neftekumsk District of the Stavropol Territory have organized the people's gathering in connection with the disappearance of Zamir Taibov, who left the aul (village) of Tukui-Mekteb, to have a conversation with FSB agents. This was reported by family members of the disappeared man.

In Armenia, the court of general jurisdiction of the administrative districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeitun held a court hearing on the case against Volodya Avetisyan, a Karabakh War veteran. During the court hearing, the judge and the defendant's supporters started a verbal altercation. As a result, the judge postponed the trial for indefinite term and left the courtroom.

On June 13, three Georgian cities Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Ozurgeti held rallies in support of the Batumi "Channel 25" TV Channel. The journalists were protesting in connection with threats and pressure against their colleagues.

In Dagestan, policemen twice refused to accept the complaint from the victims in the case on the murder of four Gamzatov brothers and Magomed Omarov. The family members of the murdered men want to file the complaint about shelling of the store in Kizlyar, belonging to the Gamzatov family. This was reported by advocate Sapiyat Magomedova.

On June 12, Ingushetia delivered more than 40 tons of humanitarian aid to a collection point in the Rostov Region. From there, part of humanitarian aid is to be sent to the cities of Lugansk and Donetsk, and another part is intended for refugees from Ukraine.

Ecologist Evgeny Vitishko reports that the administration of the colony, where he is serving his court-appointed term, sets other inmates against him, by encouraging them to demonstrate their hostile attitude to him. This is stated in Vitishko's record in the LiveJournal.

The children-orphans from Ukraine, who had arrived at the summer camp "Donetsky" in the Rostov region from the town of Snezhnoe, have been sent to Dnepropetrovsk, said Anna Temnikova, the first deputy head of the Donetsk administration.

At night on June 13, a Ukrainian infantry combat vehicle (ICV) broke the Russia's state border in the Rostov Region, said Vasily Malaev, the head of the press service of the Frontier Department of the Russia's FSB for the Rostov Region.

Ramazan Magomedov, a resident of Makhachkala, was kidnapped in the area of Gagarin Street and taken to an unknown place, activists of the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On June 13, the Nizami District Court of the Azerbaijani city of Ganja (Gandzha) began the consideration on the merits of the case opened against Gasan Guseinli, the head of the "Intellectual Citizen" Education Centre, who is accused of hooliganism.

The guilty verdict pronounced in the case against Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEM&DT), and activists Bashir Suleimanly and Elnur Mamedov has been appealed against. This was reported by advocate Djavad Djavadly.