News

In Georgia, most political analysts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent applaud the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU. Meanwhile, they have noted a number of shortcomings committed by the Georgian Government.

Sirazhdin Velikhanov, who was killed on June 27 during the special operation conducted in the Khiv District of Dagestan, was a relative of Gasan Abdullaev, the leader of the "Southern" militant grouping. This was reported by the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

North Ossetia needs to open an additional temporary accommodation centre (TAC) for 100 persons to accommodate refugees. This was declared by an official from the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE). Refugees from the eastern regions of Ukraine, who have already arrived in North Ossetia, face problems with placing their children in pre-school and educational institutions.

At present, the International Crisis Group (ICG) has no reasons to believe that the decision of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to withdraw registration of the Russian ICG's Office had been made for political grounds. This was announced by Varvara Pakhomenko, an ICG expert.

At the pleadings, public prosecutor asked to sentence Said Amirov, Mayor of Makhachkala, temporary dismissed from office and accused of plotting a terror act, to unprecedented punishment for top-ranking officials in recent history of Russia. This opinion was expressed by political analysts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot".

On June 25, Rodion Chepel, a journalist of the "Dozhd" TV Channel, was detained in the Rostov Region, while he was preparing a report for editorial assignment. However, several minutes after his detention, policemen let him go away. This was reported by the journalist himself.

Tonight, in the village of Shamilkala of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, a local resident, who used to be a businessman and a follower of Salafism, was killed. This was reported by the Investigating Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Dagestan. Till present, investigators do not report on the motives of the crime.

At present, 111 refugees from the eastern regions of Ukraine are accommodated in the territory of Dagestan. Of them, 20 refugees have filed applications for temporary asylum in the republic. This was reported by Radjab Abdulatipov, Chief of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) for the Republic of Dagestan. Thus, according to the official, the period of their stay in the region will not be restricted.

On June 25, the Supreme Court of Chechnya held the court hearing in the case against Timur Tangiev. The SC used video conferencing to question Magomed Chagaev, a prosecution witness, who is serving his sentence in a penal colony in the Chelyabinsk Region. According to advocate Ruslan Bekov, Magomed Chagaev complained about torture and claimed that he had never testified against Timur Tangiev.

In Dagestan, a militant, who was blocked in a private house in the village of Zakhit of the Khiv District, refused to surrender and opened fire on law enforcers. Then, he was killed. This was reported by the press centre of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC). The casualty was preliminarily identified.

On June 26, the wife of Ruslan Izrailov, a resident of the village of Mirny of the Stavropol Territory, filed a complaint about disappearance of her husband. Later, he was found at the IVS (temporary detention facility) of the police station of the city of Kislovodsk. Officials from the Kislovodsk police have confirmed the information about the detention of Ruslan Izrailov.

On June 24, Moscow hosted the presentation of the book entitled "Three Days in August". It has been compiled by Nadezhda Azhgikhina, Secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists, and Catherine Timer-Nepomnyaschaya, Professor of the Columbia University. The book is devoted to the events that took place in the Soviet Union on August 19-21, 1991. Participants of the presentation have recalled the events that preceded the collapse of the Soviet Union. They have also recalled the journalists, who worked at that time, and their colleagues, who perished in recent years in Dagestan.

On June 26, Tbilisi held the conference devoted to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Lawyers and politicians have discussed measures to prevent torture in places of detention. The participants of the conference have noted that the country has succeeded in that direction.

In Rostov-on-Don, the North-Caucasian District Military Court held the pleadings at the trial in the case against Said Amirov, Mayor of Makhachkala, temporary dismissed from office, and Yusup Djaparov, former Deputy Mayor of Kaspiysk. The defence has claimed the criminal case had been fabricated and asked the Court to acquit the defendants.

Human rights defenders applaud the resumption of the activities of PACE Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. However, they believe that Spanish MP Pedro Agramunt, who has been appointed to the position of PACE Rapporteur, is not the best candidate. The human rights defenders declare his loyalty to the authorities of Azerbaijan. In the current situation, Pedro Agramunt is unlikely to mitigate the acute problem of political prisoners. This opinion was expressed by the human rights defenders questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Promising rewards for information about crimes is a usual practice of law enforcement bodies; however, in realities of Chechnya such initiatives may provoke false denunciations, extrajudicial executions and torture, the rights defenders questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent believe.

Ruslan Izrailov, born in 1976, a resident of the settlement of Mirny, Stavropol Territory, was kidnapped today in the morning by unidentified masked men in the vicinity of Kislovodsk, said his wife. His wife associates the kidnapping with the repressions against Islam believers in the district.

Gadjimurad Izmailov, a lawyer from the Bar Association "Kavkaz" says that from the moment he entered the case as a defender of two suspects of committing a terror act near the GIBDD (traffic police) building Pyatigorsk on December 27, 2013, he cannot meet his clients.

Mikhail Stolyarov, the temporarily dismissed Mayor of Astrakhan, accused of receiving a large bribe, was placed into a prison hospital. The today's court session on his case has been postponed, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

Russian figures of culture and pop art and show business stars ask not to cancel the North-Caucasian Festival of Ethnic Music WOMAD. The authors of the appeal find it strange that the decisions that affect the peoples' cultural dialogue "are based on personal political estimates."