News

The Georgian MPs have been presented a new bill, under which the country will have an open-type correction facility. As stated by Khatuna Kalmakhelidze, Minister for Correction, Probation and Legal Assistance of Georgia, it would be "a prison without bars."

Today, the Makhachkala city commission for helping those, who have decided to stop their terrorist and extremist activities, in adapting to peaceful life, has decided to support the appeal of five residents of Dagestan, who asked to allow them to serve their prison terms in the territory of the republic.

The aim of the project "Preventive Reaction Group" (PRG) is to prevent threats to journalists and investigate cases of violence applied against them, and unjustified prosecution of journalists. Two groups have been formed so far, engaged in the inquiry into the murder of journalist Rafig Tagi and the arrest of the editor-in-chief of the "Khural" newspaper Avaz Zeinalov.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has announced its decision on consideration of the complaint lodged by Rafig Aliev, a well-known Azerbaijani businessman and former head of the "Azpetrol" Oil Company, who is serving his prison term.

Policemen are putting metal fences around the Triumphal Square in central Moscow and evacuating cars away from nearby streets. However, in spite of that, the opposition called on its supporters to go out to a rally on December 10.

In Ingushetia, Debukhan Khadazheva, a resident of the city of Nazran, said her son, Aliskhan Khadazhev, 37, was kidnapped and beaten by unidentified men in masks.

Vladislav Ryazantsev, one of the activists of the movement named "Left-Wing Front", who were detained in Rostov-on-Don at an unauthorized rally against election outcomes, was sentenced to five days in jail.

Anar Gazanfar oglu Jafarov, extended service man of Azerbaijani army, died as a result of wounding in the Central military hospital of Baku, a military source reported.

A group of international and Russian human rights organizations called for Prosecutor General's of Russia to exculpate Head of "Memorial" Human Rights Center Oleg Orlov accused of slander on Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

The Russian authorities must immediately stop bringing pressure on non-governmental association "Golos" ("Vote") monitoring election of deputies of State Duma of the Russian Federation and release the detained participants of peaceful actions who expressed their protest against the election, a statement of international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" runs.

Today, protest actions in connection with the elections to the State Duma conducted on December 4 continued in Russia. During an unsanctioned rally held in Triumph Square in Moscow, more than 100 persons, including journalists, oppositionists Boris Nemtsov and Eduard Limonov, were detained. At the same time, supporters of the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia) Party held their rally in Revolution Square. Today, protest rallies were held in Saint Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don and Makhachkala; on the next day, December 7, a protest action is to be held in Astrakhan.

Today, the Volgograd Regional Court upheld the verdict to Nikolai Volkov, the ex-deputy of the Volgograd Regional Duma, who was convicted in this October for sex crimes against children, falsification of passport and escape. This was reported by the Spokesman of the Regional Court.

On December 6, the Dagestani Republic's Committee of the CPRF (the Communist Party of the Russian Federation) held a rally in Makhachkala. The main demands of the organizers were to bring to justice those persons, who, according to the communists, falsified the elections to the State Duma, conducted on December 4.

In North Ossetia, three confidants of Alla Djioeva have been arrested on criminal charges. Her election office treats the charges as fabricated.

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan has considered the cassation compliant lodged by the of opposition activist Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, convicted on charges of evading his regular military service. The complaint states that Gadjiev had a draft deferment because of his higher education and the right to alternative service. However, the SC has upheld the decisions of the first and appellate instances.

In Azerbaijan, relatives of Turadj Zeinalov, who died in this August in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR), believe that he died from torture and insist on an objective investigation into the case and punishment for the guilty persons. This was reported by father and wife of the deceased person at the press conference held on December 5 in Baku.

On December 5, in the Karabulak Court of Ingushetia, at the next session on the case dealing with use of torture by policemen, Zukhra, the mother of the victim Zelimkhan Chitigov, moved a petition on providing her family with state protection, said a source from the prosecution party.

A verdict to a group of believers arrested in connection with an action of protest in front of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan on May, 6, was announced in Narimanov district court of Baku.

Human rights organization Amnesty International called for the Russian authorities to release the participants of the action of protest detained on December, 5, after the election of State Duma of the Russian Federation. Members of Amnesty International emphasize that the majority of the detainees were just peacefully expressing their protest.

On the day of election of deputies of State Duma of the Russian Federation in Krasnodar in process of counting of votes in the polling station No 22-47 representatives of LDPR and KPRF parties discovered stuffing packs of ballot papers with votes for "United Russia". Investigative bodies are carrying out inquiry on the incident.