News

In the capital of Chechnya, a special commission has begun inspecting the city dormitories, which were used earlier as temporary accommodation centres (TACs) for forced migrants and refugees. Tenants of the former TACs associate the next wave of checks with the authorities' intention to evict as many families as possible in order to escape solving their housing problems.

On August 5, the fifth annual North-Caucasian Youth Forum "Mashuk-2014" was opened in Pyatigorsk, the Stavropol Territory, reports its organizing committee. More than 2500 young people from seven subjects of the North-Caucasian Federal District are taking part in the forum that will last till August 17.

In Yerevan, activists of the office "In support of Levon Airapetyan" call on citizens to attend on August 7 a march in support of one of the richest members of the Armenian Diaspora in Russia, who was arrested as a figurant of the "Bashneft" case.

Yakov Etinger, one of the founders of the Society "Memorial", the author of the book "From Holocaust to Beslan", died at 84, the "Memorial" has reported.

Two armed men were shot dead by policemen during a shootout today in Makhachkala, the Dagestani MIA reports. An occasional passerby was slightly injured. Both attackers were later identified as members of armed underground.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) has recognized Rasul Jafarov, arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of committing economic crimes, as a "prisoner of conscience". The AI has called to release Jafarov; and this demand was also supported by the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Today, in the Shamil District of Dagestan, unidentified attackers opened fire at a car with a policeman inside, who died from the received wounds, the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.

Today, the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Georgia has announced a new charge against the former President Mikhail Saakashvili – of beating the MP Valery Gelashvili in 2005. Investigators have found that the reason for beating Gelashvili up was his interview that he gave in June 2005 to the newspaper "Resonansi", in which Gelashvili expressed his dissatisfaction with the then president and insulted Saakashvili in relation to his personal life, including his wife.

As part of a counterterrorist operation (CTO) conducted in the village of Lechinkay, Chegem District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), law enforcers blocked a house, where, according to power agents, members of the armed underground could be hiding. As a result of an assault, a suspected militant was killed. Two law enforcers were wounded, said the operative headquarters for the KBR.

In Azerbaijan, Arif Yunus, a staff member of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), has been detained. The defence believes the court will pronounce the pre-trial restriction measure against Arif Yunus in the form of arrest.

Denga Djavatkhanov, a staff member of the Kizilyurt Advocates' Chamber "Legal Aid", was forced into a car and taken to some unknown destination. This was reported by an advocate of the Advocates' Chamber. According to the advocate, the family members and friends of the kidnapped man believe that "law enforcers are involved in the incident."

On August 4, in Makhachkala, the recreation centre "Kizlyar Lagoon" launched the first international interreligious youth forum. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The forum is open to young people of 16-30 years old, who profess Islam or Christianity.

On August 4, Nikolai Kavkazsky and Maria Efimova, activists of the youth wing of the "Yabloko" Party, held a solo picket in front of the Mission of Kabardino-Balkaria in Moscow. The activists demanded to investigate the murder of Timur Kuashev, a journalist and social activist. Sergey Mitrokhin, the leader of the "Yabloko" Party, has said that he insists on institution of criminal proceedings.

On August 4, the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) was addressed by Ustarkhan Murudov, a resident of the village of Chumli of the Kaitag District of Dagestan. He has filed a complaint about his unlawful detention by the police on July 25.

The Krasnodar Territory has introduced a state of emergency in connection with the increase of the number of forced migrants from Ukraine. This was reported on August 4 by the regional administration. The resolution on the introduction of a special regime in the Krasnodar Territory has been signed by Governor Alexander Tkachov.

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan has announced today that the rights defender Rasul Jafarov had used the grants provided by the American Foundation for Democracy (NED) for extracting illegal financial gains.

Khakim Kuchmezov, the chairman of the Kabardino-Balkarian branch of the "Yabloko" Party believes that the autopsy results of Timur Kuashev's body will be released within a month. Experts need a few weeks to establish the reason of Timur's death, said Rustam Matsev, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

180 out of 438 Ukrainian servicemen, who got at night to the territory of the Rostov Region, have returned to their homeland, said Vasily Malaev, the head of the press service of the Rostov Regional Border Guard Service of the FSB. The soldiers were delivered to the Ukrainian party at the checkpoint "Matveev Kurgan", which is contiguous with the Ukrainian checkpoint "Uspenka", the ITAR-TASS reports.

During the week of July 28-August 3, 2014, at least 9 persons suffered in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, 5 persons were killed, and 4 persons were wounded. These are the results of calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

On August 2, in Baku, the police detained Ruslan Nasirli, a member of the Youth Committee of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP). This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Asif Yusifli, a legal representative of Ruslan Nasirli, a member of the Supreme Majlis of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP).