News

Today, at the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, at the trial on case of the attack on Nalchik, Marat Ozrokov, the advocate of defendant Zaur Tokhov, filed a motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure for his client to another form of restriction not related to detention in custody. The advocate referred to the results of the examination of the defendant's state of health and also asked the court to release Zaur Tokhov to attend the funeral of his child. The court dismissed the motion.

In North Ossetia, policemen have detained two local residents who are suspected of kidnappings for ransom, the Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.

The South-Ossetian authorities released two Georgian citizens who were earlier detained on charge of illegal crossing of the Georgian-South Ossetian border.

Residents of the Volgograd Region, who oppose mining nickel in the Novokhopyorsk District of the Voronezh Region, were beaten by staff members of the private security company (PSC) "Patrol". This was reported by Svetlana Bobrova, Spokesperson of the Stalingrad Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). Representatives of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC) claimed disorderly conduct of the persons protesting against mining of nickel.

On a wall of the barge, where Johar Tsarnaev, a native of Chechnya, accused of committing the terror act during the Boston Marathon, was hiding from the police, an inscription was found, in which he called the terror act a revenge for the US military actions in the Middle East. This was reported today by John Miller, a special correspondent for the "CBS News" TV Channel, a former FBI agent.

On May 14, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan adopted the amendments to the Criminal Code that criminalize defamation and insults on the Internet. By severity of punishment, defamation and insults on the Internet are equal to those for the same acts in the real world. Representatives of civil society criticize the adopted amendments, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Mikhail Savva, Director of Grant Programmes of the South Regional Resource Centre (SRRC), a teacher of the Kuban State University, is suspected of another episode of fraud. Mikhail Savva is pleaded not guilty. This was reported by the advocate of the Professor.

On May 14, owners of two houses that were blown up in Buynaksk met Rasul Isaev, Assistant of the City Prosecutor. This was reported by a woman from Karanaev family. They filed to the Prosecutor's Office their appeals stating that the explosive devices were planted in the houses of Buynaksk during searches.

The managers of the territorial administration of the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Pyatigorsk" in Dagestan are suspected of fraud amounting to more than 44 million roubles. This was reported by a representative of the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The Dagestani police began verifying the information on human beings traffic at a bus station in Makhachkala, which appeared in social networks. This was reported on May 14 by a representative of the Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The house of Mukhtar Shakhmandarov, a resident of Buynaksk, who was detained this morning, is being searched by armed men in masks. Relatives of the detainee fear of provocations. This was reported by Zarema Bagautdinova, the representative of the Dagestani regional public organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) in the city Buynaksk.

Today, early in the morning, in the village of Kosyakino of the Kizlyar District of Dagestan, armed men in masks blocked the two houses, whose owners were detained. This was reported by Gulnara Rustamova, the representative of the organization "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy). The police have confirmed that today, the Kizlyar District faced actions that law enforcers called preventive ones.

Periods of detention in custody of Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the civil movement "Republic's Alternative" (ReAL), and Tofiq Yagublu, Deputy Chairman of the "Musavat" Party, were extended for three months till September 2013. This was announced today by the advocates of the oppositionists.

Today, the Soviet District Court of Makhachkala arrested for two months Makhach Gamzatov and Zaurbek Ashurov, residents Buynaksk. Both detainees are charged of aiding and abetting illegal armed formations (IAFs). This was reported by Gadjimurad Gamzatov, the brother of one of the detainees.

Actor Gerard Depardieu is preparing to play the role of Akhmat Kadyrov, the first Chechen president, in the film "Father's Heart". The next film, involving Gerard Depardieu, will also be shot in Grozny, and the French actor will play a role of gangster in that film. This was reported by the French newspaper "Le Monde".

In Dagestan, seven workers were forcibly kept at a stone work factory; their documents were taken away and no wags were paid to them. Three of them managed to escape, and four others were released on May 13, the youth movement "Alternativa" (Alternative) reports.

Today, in the Georgian city of Zugdidi, 20 refugees went on a hunger strike at the building of administration of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Relatives and friends of 49-year-old Yuri Molchanov, a human rights defender from Sochi, believe that his premature death became the result of the pressure, which he suffered for his human rights activities.

In Yerevan, the court postponed the court session on the lawsuit filed by the company "Dino Gold Mining" against ecologist Yeghiya Nersisyan till June 10. The court session scheduled for May 13 was not held because of illness of Tigran Yegoryan and Lusine Akopyan, advocates of the ecologist.

On May 13, the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Judge Abid Abdinbekov, considered the appeal filed by theologian Talekh Bagirzade against the refusal to grant the motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure in the form of detention in custody to home arrest. The Court dismissed the appeal filed by Talekh Bagirzade and left him in custody. The defence intends to file a complaint against, according to the defence's opinion, unlawful arrest to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).