News

At night on August 4, in the Rostov Region, Russian border guards opened a humanitarian corridor for 438 Ukrainian soldiers, who sought refuge. This was announced by Vasily Malaev, Spokesperson of the Border Guard Service of the Russian FSB for the Rostov Region.

In Chechnya, employees of budget organizations have reported on deductions from their salaries and demands to allocate money for humanitarian assistance to the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions of Ukraine, where armed conflict is unfolding.

Death of public figure Timur Kuashev in KBR; escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone; arrest of human rights defenders Leyla Yunus and Rasul Jafarov in Azerbaijan, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of July 28-August 3, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

In the settlement-colony in the Tambov Region, Evgeny Vitishko, a Krasnodar ecologist, has been released from the dungeon (punishment cell). This was reported by the ecologist's supporters in the late evening of August 3.

Staff members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have confirmed that on August 3, the border checkpoint "Gukovo" in the Rostov Region was twice shelled from the Ukrainian territory. According to the Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the territory of Russia is allegedly shelled by fighters of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics (LNR and DNR).

On August 1, Abdul Batchaev, a resident of Karachay-Cherkessia, filed a complaint about the action of a staff member of Russian General Prosecutor's Office. Abdul Batchaev is a father of Rashid Batchaev, who was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in high-security penal colony for involvement in the attack on Dagestan in 1999.

The Azerbaijani Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has called on the government of Azerbaijan to release Rasul Jafarov and clear him from all charges against him. Besides, the IRFS demands to stop the criminal proceedings against other civil society activists.

The information that Timur Kuashev, a journalist and social activist, died because of the problems with his cardiovascular system is incorrect. Timur Kuashev was killed. This was stated by his friend Abakar Abakarov.

Musa Magomedov, a resident of the village of Nechaevka, who was detained on July 31 after a search of his house, was released in the evening of August 2. This was reported by his advocate Arsen Radjabov.

In the village of Blinovo of the Adler District of Sochi, policemen detained about 20 people, including refugees from Ukraine, who were forced to clean up the local police station. This was reported by staff members of the human rights network "Migration and Law" and members of the Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) of the Krasnodar Territory.

The roundtable held in Makhachkala on "Viewpoints of Russian Muslims on Reasons of Palestinian-Israeli Confrontation and Settlement Prospects" was the last public event, where Timur Kuashev, a journalist and human rights activist, was speaking.

On Saturday, in Azerbaijan, Rasul Djafarov (Jafarov), a coordinator of the campaign "Art for Democracy", has been detained. He is taken into custody for three months, and he was accused of economic crimes.

On Saturday, the burial of journalist and social activist Timur Kuashev took place in the Nalchik residential district of Volny Aul. The journalist's colleagues believe Timur Kuashev was murdered for his civic activity.

In the Lenin District of Grozny, policemen detained a 30-year-old native of the village of Bamut of the Achkhoi-Martan District of Chechnya on suspicion of aiding and abetting an illegal armed formation (IAF). This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The concept of the new Criminal Code of Armenia provides for a number of major changes; and the "personality factor" has been brought into the forefront, said the advocates Ara Zakaryan and Ovannes Kocharyan, who welcomed the reform of the Code.

The administration of the head and the government of Chechnya has refuted the information of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine about sending Chechen power agents to participate in the conflict in the East of Ukraine. At the same time, residents of Chechnya report transportation of troops outside the republic's territory.

The decision to place Evgeny Vitishko in a punishment cell is the first step to transfer the ecologist from the settlement colony to a common-security penal colony. This opinion was expressed by Vladimir Kimaev, a member of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch).

A torchlight march against increase of electricity tariffs was held in Yerevan, organized by the respective initiative group and attended by several dozen people.

On August 1, relatives of Musa Magomedov, a detained resident of the village of Nechaevka of the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, held a spontaneous gathering, demanding to release the detainee.

Two persons, who on August 1 were killed during a shootout in the Terek District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), were involved in the armed underground. This was announced by officials from the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).