News

Today, during the court session on the case on espionage in Nagorno-Karabakh, defendant David Barsegyan got an attack of epilepsy. The court made the decision to adjourn the court session for July 4.

In Georgia, after consultation with representatives of non-governmental organizations, the date of voting at the presidential election was postponed and scheduled for October 27. This was reported by Andro Barnov, the head of the Georgian presidential administration.

On July 15, inArmenia, the Court of Appeal will consider the appeal filed by representatives of the defendants and the victims in the case on the death of Lieutenant Artak Nazaryan, since they do not agree with the verdict pronounced.

The verdict of guilty to Dashgyn Melikov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) is politically motivated. This was stated by his advocate Asabali Mustafaev. Anar Mamedli, a representative of the Defence Alliance for Political Freedoms, the Council of Europe (CoE) should urge the Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider the verdict.

Dashgyn Melikov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was found guilty of drug possession and sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment. The relevant decision was made today by the Sumgait City Court of Azerbaijan.

Today, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes that considers the case against Hilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Tolyshi Sado" (Voice of Talysh) has listened to the testimonies of prosecutors' witnesses. They were two staff members of the Chief Department for Drug Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan, and they confirmed that drugs were found at Hilal Mamedov's place at his detention.

Numerous bruises and wounds were found on the body of Tarkhan Kartoev, a resident of Ingushetia, who was sentenced on charges of undermining the "Neva-Express" Train and who died in Yekaterinburg penal colony in a week after his arrival to the penitentiary institution. This was stated by his relative Mukhazhir Kartoev.

The Judge of the 15th Arbitration Court of Appeal returned the appeal filed by the Department of supervisory activities for Novocherkassk of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) of the Rostov Region against the decision of the court of first instance to cancel a fine of 450,000 roubles to be paid by the parish of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church in the city.

The Arbitration Court of the Rostov Region has adjourned the case on transfer of the dormitory "Sail" to the city ownership till July 23 at the request of the defendant Joint-Stock Company (JSC) "Azov-Don Shipping Company". At the next court session held on July 2 the defendant assured the Court that he would make everything possible for peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Advocates of Sirazhudin Guchuchaliev charged of killing Magomed Magomedov, Judge of the Supreme Court of Dagestan claim that their client is being subjected to torture and that he could be killed in SIZO (pre-trial prison). The complaints were filed to the supervisory authorities, investigating authorities, to institutions of the FSIN (Federal Penitentiary Service), and human rights activists.

Residents of the village of Khadjalmakhi, Levashin District of Dagestan, report that late in the evening on June 1 unidentified persons unlawfully entered empty households, made pogroms and looted some of the houses.

In Karabulak, nine people from the temporary accommodation centre (TAC) "Promzhilbaza", who demand issuance of housing certificates to Chechen families living there, continue their hunger strike. One man stopped his action after a conflict with the police, said Aset Khadisova, a hunger-striker.

The case files on use of slave labour in the Stavropol Territory of 13 persons have been transferred from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) to the Investigating Division for the city of Georgievsk of the Territorial Investigating Department of the ICRF (Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation).

Rasul and Yakub Magomedov, residents of the village of Shamilkala, Untsukul District of Dagestan, were detained by law enforcers, said their advocate Nurmagomed Magomedov. He asserts that weapons and ammunition had been planted on the detainees.

On Tuesday, the defence of the three soldiers, who went to court for protection of their honour and dignity, presented proofs of the guilt of Gagik Djangiryan, the former military prosecutor.

The human rights activists engaged in monitoring the Ekaterinburg Colony No. 2, where a resident of Ingushetia Tarkhan Kartoev, convicted on charges of blowing up the "Neva-Express" Train, has recently died, had claims to the work of the facility. The blogosphere and Internet websites, launched to protect prisoners' rights, assert that torture is used in the colony on a regular basis.

In Azerbaijan, on July 2, the oppositional National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) nominated its chairman, a famous screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, as a candidate for presidency at the upcoming this October presidential election.

Three residents of the Sunzha District of Chechnya will face trial on suspicion of plotting a terror act against law enforcers. The Chechnya's Prosecutor's Office completed the investigation of the criminal case against Makhmud Madaev, 22, Yusup Ektumaev, 20, and Kemran Karsamov, residents of the village of Assinovskaya, Sunzha District of Chechnya.

Residents of the Kazbek District of Dagestan have held a rally to demand resignation of Abdul Makhachev, the head of the district administration, and his management, as well as to dissolve the local assembly of deputies as an ineffective representative body.

The Muslims living in the village of Samtatskaro, Dedoplistskaroy District of Georgia, report about threats they receive from local residents and the rising religious conflict. In the opinion of Tamta Mikeladze, a lawyer from the NGO "Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia", the situation in Samtatskaro is still tense.