News

On August 29, Vasily Golubev, the Governor of the Rostov Region, announced that all field temporary accommodation centres (TACs) for Ukrainian refugees would be closed during a week. The TACs are to be closed because of bad weather conditions in the Rostov Region. The authorities plan to transfer refugees to stationary accommodation centres.

Simon Mkrtchyan, a colleague of Vladimir Airapetyan, has been detained during the investigation into the case of the death of his colleague, a regular soldier of one of the military units. This was reported on August 30 by the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Today, Seimur Khazi (Khaziev), 32, an oppositional journalist and an observer of the "Azadlyg" (Freedom) newspaper, has been arrested by a court in Azerbaijan for two months. The journalist was charged with disorderly conduct (hooliganism).

Today, on the International Day of Missing People, relatives of those missing and kidnapped held a rally in Grozny demanding to punish those responsible for kidnappings. The action was attended by about 60 people, the participants told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Residents of the village of Mekhelta, Gumbet District of Dagestan, have complained to the head of the republic about protraction with decision-making process and payment of compensations to the victims of the natural calamity – torrential rains that hit the region back in 2006, after which their houses became unfit for living, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Family members of Kurman-Ali Baichorov, the Imam of Kislovodsk, the Deputy Mufti of the Stavropol Territory, who is accused of drug possession, have appealed for help to rights defenders and staff members of the Ombudsman's Office in Chechnya.

The Chechen Prosecutor's Office has demanded from the investigating authorities to reopen the investigation into the criminal case on the fact of the murder of Aizan Amirova, a resident of Grozny, committed in 2000. Local residents claim that the crime was committed by soldiers of federal forces, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The charge against Ali Gyulalyev, who is accused of disorderly conduct, has been fabricated for political reasons, stated opposition activist Oktai Gyulalyev, the father of the defendant. According to Djamil Gasanli, the leader of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), the criminal case against Ali Gyulalyev became the next one in a series of the cases instituted against relatives of opposition members and rights defenders.

Advocates of Chechen native Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused by the American authorities of organizing the terror act during the marathon in Boston in 2013, have filed a motion to postpone the beginning of the trial in the case until September 15, 2015. The defenders claim they have not enough time to get prepared for the trial, the beginning of which is scheduled for November 3.

Inmates of the SIZO No. 2 (pre-trial prison) of the Georgian town of Kutaisi continue a protest action. They demand reconsideration of their cases and attention of the administration. One of the hunger-strikers has been brought to the hospital, his wife reports.

The Maikop City Court has continued the questioning of witnesses in the criminal case against Zarema Khadjirokova, the former chief accountant of the Maikop State Technological University, who is accused of fraud. The trial was held in the absence of defence, and the defendant was brought to the courtroom by force, stated Lyudmila Alexandrova, the former advocate of the defendant.

An Armenian soldier with a gunshot wound was found dead at his combat post, the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reports. According to the Armenian MoD, "a criminal case was instituted under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Armenian Criminal Code.

Russia’s actions against Ukraine qualify as an act of aggression the definition of which is given in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of 14 December 1974.

On August 28, five activists of the NGO "Free Zone" were detained by law enforcers for their attempt to paint a bridge in the centre of Tbilisi in the colours of Ukrainian flag, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports. On the next day Tbilisi City Court made a decision to fine all five activists for 400 lari (228,6 dollars).

On August 26, the Appellate Instance of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Chechen Republic denied the petition lodged by Ruslan Kutaev, the President the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, against the refusal to open a criminal case on the fact of applying violence to him. Now, Kutaev's defence intends to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The human rights organization "Soldiers' Mothers of Saint Petersburg", whose leader Ella Polyakova voiced out the death of nine Russian soldiers during military operations in the territory of Ukraine, was put into the register of non-profit organizations – foreign agents.

On August 13, more than a thousand soldiers of the Russian Army were sent to the territory of Ukraine. They were announced that they were going to carry out a combat mission; and those who refused would be criminally prosecuted, said Sergey Krivenko and Ella Polyakova, members of the Russian Presidential Council for Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (known as SPCh), referring to the information received from the mother of one of the lost contract soldiers.

The list of nine Russian soldiers killed during the combat actions in the territory of Ukraine includes mostly of natives of Dagestan. This was reported by Sergey Krivenko, a member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights (HRC).

At present, in Georgian penal colonies, 32 prisoners continue a protest action in the form of hunger strike. This was stated on August 28 by Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Deputy Minister of Correction, Probation and Legal Assistance. According to his story, in addition to other demands, the prisoners call for reconsideration of their cases.

On August 28, in Stavropol, a suspicious bomb-like object was found at the Upper Market. According to the law enforcement bodies, no explosives have been detected in it.