News

Kyamalya Bananyarly, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), arrested for 30 days after taking part in a protest action, was visited by rights defenders Elchin Bekhbudov and Vugar Magerramov. They said that they intended to ask law enforcement bodies to check the messages that the woman had been tortured.

As reported by a WW II veteran Elena Chibisova, the Sochi authorities failed to congratulate the war veterans on Victory Day, and invited only local activists to the festivities. Nina Kurilo, a teacher and a prisoner of Nazi concentration camps, also had claims to local officials.

On May 10, Chechnya marked the Day of Memory and Grief of the nations of Chechnya, which was set up as the date of the official mourning for the victims of the 1944 deportation and military campaigns. Many locals believe that the mourning day for the victims of deportation was deliberately dated to the mourning for the former President Akhmat Kadyrov, who was killed on May 9, 2004.

The regions of the Southern Federal District (SFD) marked the Victory Day with celebratory processions and parades. In some of them increased security measures were taken.

On May 9, an explosion occurred in one of the households of the village of Tyaklya, the Masally District of Azerbaijan, which caused severe burns of the house owner and his minor daughter.

Since May 8, relatives of Gadjimurad Ibragimov, who is a stepbrother of one of the victims in the murder case of four Gamzatov brothers and Magomed Omarov, cannot locate him and fear that Ibragimov could be kidnapped in order to put pressure on the family. This was reported by the advocate Sapiyat Magomedova.

In Armenia, a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have accused Ivan Volynkin, the Russia's Ambassador in Yerevan, of interfering in the country's home affairs and demanded his resignation, or apology.

The US State of California has adopted a resolution in support of the efforts of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) to develop as a free and independent nation. This is the fifth US state to recognize the independence of the NKR.

In Dagestan, relatives of Felix Agaragimov, the Imam of the village of Kurkent, the Suleiman-Stalsky District, cannot find his whereabouts. The local ROVD (District Interior Division) fails to confirm the fact of his detention.

On May 8, unidentified persons blasted the monument to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War (WW II) in the village of Sogratl in Dagestan. The information about the fact was received by the SMS-service of the "Caucasian Knot".

Asabali Mustafaev, the advocate of Kyamalya Bananyarly, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), sentenced to administrative arrest for participating in the May 6 protest action, asserts that his client was tortured and abused in the Nasimi district police department.

Today, in Volgograd, Nadezhda Kireeva, a resident of Volgograd and a mother of many children, has been detained by policemen in Alley of Heroes. She told about that to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Nadezhda Kireeva has noted that Olga Stepanova, another mother of many children, was detained together with her.

On May 8, at least 20 followers of Salafism were brought to a police station in Khasavyurt. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by a local resident. According to the resident, who introduced himself as Arsen D., on May 7 and 8, in Khasavyurt, the police conducted raids against local followers of Salafism.

Sapiyat Magomedova, an advocate of Magomed Aliev, a resident of Dagestan, suspected of involvement in an act of robbery, has appealed to the head of the Inherent Security Department of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) in Dagestan with a complaint about the actions of staff member of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) No. 1 of Makhachkala.

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.