News

About 30 persons, most of them natives of the republics on Northern Caucasus, went on a hunger strike in penal colony No 7 of Mordovia. The participants of the hunger strike demand to observe the convicts’ rights and stop beating they undergo in the penal colony, a relative of one of the convicts reported.

On November, 21, striking miners and local residents held an action of protest in the center of Tkibuli demanding not to close the mine named after Dzidziguri. A similar action passed off in front of the Parliament in Kutaisi.

Shirvan Appellate Court of Azerbaijan considered an appeal from activist of “Kura” civil association Ilham Amirsalanov sentenced to two years of custody for accusation of illegal storage of arms and ammunition.

The ruling coalition "Georgian Dream" put forward an initiative to establish the temporary investigatory commission of the Parliament.

As a result of two explosions, which occurred today in a bank in the village of Shamilkala of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, three persons were killed and one was injured. This was reported today by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Dagestan.

At the trial in the Baku Court on Grave Crimes on the case against Avaz Zeinalov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Khural", at the court sessions, held on November 20-21, the journalist gave testimony, in which he denied all the charges.

This academic year, the Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU) will admit more than 100 students from Syria, whose tuition will be paid from the budget. This was announced today by Gumar Kirzhinov, Dean of the Department for Work with International Students of the KBSU.

Today, Alexei Mandrigelya, a former candidate for deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, an activist of the regional branch of the "Yabloko" Party, sentenced to 15-day arrest for disobeying the police during a symbolic action of "funeral of honest and fair elections in the region", was released from custody.

An extraordinary session of the National Assembly of Armenia, convened by MPs from the "Armenian National Congress" was not held because of lack of quorum.

In Karachay-Cherkessia, four policemen face trial for abuse of power: they are accused of torturing a detainee to knock out a confession. This was reported by the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) in Karachay-Cherkessia.

On November 20, about 20 residents of Rostov-on-Don, who invested their money in the construction of an apartment building No. 32 in Shakespeare Street, attempted to hinder the demolition of the building. The court declared it to be constructed illegally, and a criminal case was instituted against the developer. The real estate investors claim they did not know that the construction was conducted illegally and that they were sure that the building was being demolished unlawfully.

On November 20, in old Tbilisi, an action in support of Israel was held in a park near the Jewish Synagogue, next to the popular tourist destination of Chardin Street. The action was attended by about 100 persons.

The refugees from Georgia whose dwellings were flooded as a result of showers that passed in Tskhinvali in the beginning of November returned to their collective dwelling center in the suburbs of the town, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reports.

About one hundred pensioners in Krasnodar took part in an action organized by party “Social Justice”. The action was held under the slogan “Hands off Putin!” aimed against “Yabloko” party.

In the evening of November, 20, discharged and working employees of Tbilisi company “Telasi” stopped their hunger strike. The strike they declared is still going on.

Today, Tbilisi hosted a rally in support of Palestine and against the military operation in the Gaza Strip. The event was attended by about 25 students.

In the course of the today's hearings, held at the National Assembly on the human rights situation in the penitentiary institutions, Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan pointed out a number of serious problems in the legal sphere and to problems of domestic nature in prisons. This was reported by "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

During the today's court session in the case against Irakli Okruashvili, ex-Minister of Defence of Georgia, judge granted the defence's motion to postpone the trial till December 3. Irakli Okruashvili is accused of organizing an illegal armed formation and its leading. This was reported by lawyer Zviad Kordzadze.

Today local Cossack activists in the health resort of Anapa, Krasnodar region, came out in opposition against filling the flood-lands of the Anapka river which they consider illegal.

The Moscow Mayoralty did not sanction a rally in Pushkin Square within the worldwide action of solidarity with Syrian Circassians. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by the initiative group of Circassians.