News

As stated on July 26 by Archil Talakvadze, Deputy Minister of Correction, Probation and Legal Assistance of Georgia, five of the prisoners who are holding a hunger strike in the prison of Rustavi have serious health problems.

On July 26, the Nariman District Court of Baku extended for another two months, until September 30, the arrest of the theologian Talekh Bagirzade, accused of illegal possession of drugs. His defence did not agree with the ruling and intends to appeal it at the Baku Court of Appeal.

In Azerbaijan, the NGO "Law and Development", specializing in election issues, intends to challenge in court the "Rules of accrediting organizations conducting exit polls", approved by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on the eve of the presidential election.

Decisions on public transport fares in Yerevan should be made with direct participation of the public, activists of the initiative group "We won't pay 150 drams!" stated on July 26 during their action.

On July 27, in Volgograd, the Stalingrad Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) will organize a rally demanding the dismissal of the Russian government.

Representatives of social and political movements of Ingushetia treat the detention of Akromat Evkurov, one of the supporters of Khamzat Chumakov, Imam of Nasyr-Kort Mosque, as the government's campaign of pressure on the theologian.

Late in the evening of July 25, Rabbi Arthur (Ovadiya) Isakov, who was wounded in Dagestan as a result of an attempt on him, was brought to Israel for further medical treatment. Rabbi Isakov was hospitalized to the hospital "Beilinson" in Petah Tikva.

In the first half of 2013, the Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnodar Territory initiated 11 criminal cases on attempts to embezzle the funds allocated for construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi.

Children from families of refugees from Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic, affected by ethnic conflicts, will spend three months with American families. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Alikhan Akhilgov, the leader of the non-governmental organization "Foundation for assistance to earlier deported peoples".

The North-Caucasian District Court has sentenced ex-Ensign Denis Kaimakov to eight years of imprisonment for treason espionage. This was reported by the press service of the Court. The verdict was pronounced on July 25.

To date, 37 inmates of two prisons in Georgia are on hunger strike, demanding a review of their cases; two of them have sewn up their mouths, according to the Ministry of Corrections, Probation and Legal Aid.

The Baku Court of Appeal (CoA) has dismissed the complaint lodged by Zaur Gurbanly, an activist of the civil movement "Nida" (Shout), who had been accused of trafficking in explosives, against the decision to extend his custody.

The Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan has announced that he suspended the decision to review and increase by 50 percent the public transport fares. The participants of the protest actions held in the Armenian capital have greeted the news with enthusiasm.

Employees of the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) are searching two brothers-natives of Uzbekistan Alisher and Zhasurbek Fazilov, whose disappearance was reported by their relatives, said Fatina Ubaidatova, the spokesperson of the MIA. So far, their whereabouts are unknown.

The large-scale amnesty initiated by the new government has resulted in an increase of crime; and citizens' safety is now under threat, said the participants of the mourning action, held in Tbilisi in memory of the murdered Mariam Kochalidze, a girl of 16 from Batumi. Her body with her throat cut was found in Batumi Boulevard in the morning on July 23.

Attempt on the rabbi of the synagogue located in Derbent in Dagestan may be associated with his religious activities. This was reported by the press service of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation.

Today, in Yerevan, at the buildings of the government, the Mayoralty, the Conservatory of Music a series of protest actions were held with demands to cancel the decision of the Yerevan City Mayoralty to raise tariffs for public transport.

In Chechnya, a 19-year-old local resident was detained on suspicion of posting on the Internet the calls for "jihad against infidels." The issue of instituting a criminal case against him for incitement to extremism is under consideration.

On July 25, at the session of the People's Assembly of Dagestan, MPs have unanimously voted to approve Abdusamad Gamidov, Finance Minister, at the position of the Prime Minister of Dagestan.

On July 24, near the building of the Sochi Mayoralty, lawyer Roman Shikarev held a solo picket against the actions of the head of the Department for Family and Children Affairs of the Sochi administration. The picketer claimed violation of the rights of a girl sought by her relatives.