News

In the opinion of many locals and human rights activists, the introduction of a number of restrictions in Sochi for the period of preparation and holding of the Olympic Games violates the rights of city residents and visitors alike.

The defence of the students Rafik Avagyan and David Barsegyan, sentenced in Nagorno-Karabakh to 11 and 10 years in prison for treason and espionage, has appealed against the verdict.

Activists of several civil society organizations and political parties have submitted a notification to the Mayoralty of Sochi about a 400-strong rally on environmental issues on September 7.

Natalia Alieva, a resident of the village of Semender, has completely denied her guilt of aiding the members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), said Israfil Gadadov, a lawyer from the Bar "Kavkaz".

The fourth school of Hafizes (people who know Quran by heart), launched in construction in August 2012, was opened on August 23 at the south-western Chechnya, in the city of Urus-Martan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on introduction of a number of restrictions in Sochi at the time of preparation and holding of the Winter Olympic Games-2014. In particular, rallies and assemblies will be banned the city.

On August 23, the lawyer of the Dagestani weekly "Chernovik" lodged his statement to the local FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan on the fact of a hacker attack, undertaken since August 22 against the paper's website.

On August 23, a mourning rally took place in Central Embankment of Volgograd. The action was attended by about 50 people – war veterans, townspeople, survivors of the bombing, politicians and public figures.

Activists of eleven Georgian NGOs have put forward the candidacy of Ms Tamar Zhvaniya, the head of the UNDP's election projects, for the post of the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Today, Professor Jamil Gasanli from the Baku State University has been elected as the backup presidential candidate of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF).

The Coordinating Council of the Association "All-Ingush Civil Council" has asked the Russian President Vladimir Putin to react to the statement of the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev about the election procedure in several republics of Northern Caucasus.

The panel of judges for administrative cases of the Volgograd Regional Court has restored the Mayor of Dubovka Alexander Lyashenko in the capacity of a candidate for the post of the Dubovka District to be elected on September 8.

The situation in the countryside Karaman (Black Stones) in the Kumtorkalin District of Dagestan has stabilized; and the today's night and morning passed without incidents, said the local police.

Ilham Amiraslanov, an activist of the staff of the civil society "Kura", who is serving his term in Colony No. 5 of Azerbaijan, has started a hunger strike, claiming a violation of his right to conditional early relief (CER).

Bammatkhan Sheikhov, the leader of the Buynaksk grouping, was really killed during the special operation in Buynaksk held on August 20. This was reported by the information resources supporting Dagestani militants.

On August 22, the Baku Court of Appeal dismissed the complaint filed by Tofiq Yagublu, Deputy Chairman of the "Musavat" Party, against the decision of the first instance court to prolong his arrest.

The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) of Azerbaijan has made a statement in connection with cyber attacks on the website of the opposition newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom).

The bodies of the persons killed during the special operation carried out on August 20 in the Dagestani city of Buynaksk were not given out to relatives for burial. This was stated by mother of one of the killed persons.

Relatives of Beslan Dadaev, a native of Chechnya, claimed about pressure upon him by staff members of the penitentiary institution IK-9 located in Petrozavodsk in Karelia.

During four days, on August 17-20, 16 suspected militants were killed in Dagestan, including Bammatkhan Sheikhov, the leader of the Buynaksk grouping, who claimed to be Amir of Dagestan.