News

Representatives of the Russian government and the administration of Sochi believe that violations of the rights of migrant workers that were reported by the human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) do not take place at the construction sites of Olympic facilities.

Participants of the protest action of former political prisoners and their supporters, who demanded the resignation of Mikhail Saakashvili, did not allow the MPs from the President's entourage to enter the building of the National Library, where the Georgian leader was to deliver the report.

In Makhachkala, participants of the rally claimed arbitrariness of the law enforcement bodies. They adopted a resolution with indication of their claims and intend to send it to the local and federal authorities.

Alibek Mirzekhanov, a resident of the city of Derbent, claimed that he was kidnapped, tortured and beaten by law enforcement agents. The young man has recorded a video message and addressed it to the Mayor of Derbent, Chief of the GUVD (City Interior Division), the new leader of Dagestan, and the Russian President.

The Baku Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals against the arrests of Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the civil movement "Republic Alternative", and Tofiq Yagublu, Deputy Chairman of the "Musavat" Party, accused of organizing riots in the city of Ismailly.

Verdict to three residents of Rostov-on-Don, accused of the attempted terror act in 2010, is unreasonable and unfair. This was stated by relatives and advocates of the convicted persons. They intend to appeal against the court's decision.

In Dagestan, a disappeared resident of the village of Krasnoarmeisk was found in the Kirov ROVD (District Interior Division) of Makhachkala. He is suspected of aiding and abetting a member of illegal armed formations (IAFs).

Irakli Okruashvili, the former Defence Minister of Georgia, has been cleared of last charge relating to professional negligence. On February 7, Judge Zviad Esebua granted the appropriate prosecutors' motion.

In Armenia, Serop Bozoyan, who was sentenced to one year of imprisonment in the case of the explosion of balloons at Republic's Square, was sentenced to conditional imprisonment.

11 Russian human rights organizations have filed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) the complaint against the law on non-commercial organizations. The human rights defenders believe that the requirement to get registered as "foreign agents" violates their right to freedom of association and freedom of speech and violates the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.

The regional office of the unregistered party "Novaya Sila" (New Force) has announced a start of collecting signatures for return of the Stavropol Territory into the Southern Federal District (SFD).

Today, the Georgian government has approved a proposal to ease the law on occupied territories, namely, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as considered by Georgia, and is ready to bring a respective bill for approval of the Parliament.

Tonight, in the Levashin District of Dagestan, unidentified criminals shot dead a local district policeman, said a source from law enforcement bodies.

In Azerbaijan, the 75-year-old writer Akram Aylisli (Naibov), the author of the novel "Stone Dreams" about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, was deprived of the title of "People's Writer" and his personal pension; the respective order was signed today by President Ilham Aliev.

Today in Armenia, at 5:00 p.m., the presidential candidate Aram Arutyunyan, the leader of the "National Accord" Party, went on a hunger strike in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

As reported by the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), during an attack on the police in the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan two men were killed and a woman was wounded.

Today, Makhachkala hosted an extraordinary session of the People's Assembly of Dagestan. Magomedsultan Magomedov, the Speaker of the Parliament, was dismissed from his post; and instead the parliamentarians have unanimously elected the former MP of the Russian State Duma Khizri Shikhsaidov.

Today, an attack on policemen was undertaken in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan. During the fight, one attacker was killed and one more wounded. The policemen were not hurt, said the Investigatory Department for Dagestan of the ICRF.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to dismiss Akhmed Bilalov from all his posts, namely, of Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee and the head of the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "Resorts of Northern Caucasus", Dmitry Kozak, the Deputy Prime Minister, has reported.

Activists of the movement "Mekhk-Khel" have organized collection of signatures to a petition addressed to Vladimir Putin, demanding not to sign the bill that would allow the authorities of the republics of Northern Caucasus to cancel direct election of governors.