News

Zareta Sokurova, a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, appealed to human rights defenders asking to help find her son Astemir Sokurov, who had disappeared on November 22. According to the women, power agents are involved in the kidnapping. Zareta Sokurova also reported on plundering and undermining of her house.

In Dagestan, rally against kidnappings and arbitrariness of power agents was held. According to various estimates, it was attended by 2500-3000 people.

Today, the 306th session of the Federation Council adopted the house's resolution on the appointment of the Russian presidential election. The election will be held on March 4, 2012. On this issue, senators adopted the resolution of the house, which would come into force from the date of its official publication.

Today, the voting on the second list of candidates to the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation (PCRF) has finished. According to its results, Maxim Shevchenko, the well-known journalist and active member of the PCRF, was not included in the new list.

The 14 annual telethon of the All-Armenian Foundation "Aiastan", held in Los Angeles, raised about 12,286,000 US dollars of donations. The funds are to be spent on restoration of water supply in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

On November 24, in Yerevan, the movement "Miasin" (Together) organized a rally in support and defence of the Armenian language. The event was attended by about 1000 students from different high schools in Yerevan.

A web-resource in the Azerbaijani language that will help internet users in using the facilities of social media has been worked out in Azerbaijan.

The team of “Khural” newspaper appealed to the Minister of Interior Affairs of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov asking to secure safety to the journalists. They reported “direct threats of violence” from deputy Giulyr Ahmedova.

Human rights activists from Helsinki Association of Armenia demand repeal of the sentence upon Leader of “Vesna” (“Spring”) Human rights center Ales Beliatsky sentenced to 4,5 years of colony and sequestration of property by Byelorussian court.

Draft-dodgers in Armenia who still come to military registration and enlistment offices during the autumn conscription will be exempted from criminal liability. This is a statement issued on November, 24, by Public prosecutor’s office of Armenia.

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) is now auditing the Progress Bank, after part of its stock was bought by the Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

The Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov plans to clear out the situation with the soldiers from the "Ashuluk" Testing Ground, who complained to human rights defenders of their unbearable service conditions, said Valentina Melnikova, the head of the Russian Committee of Soldiers' Mothers.

The refusal of the control-disciplinary committee (CDC) of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to take a decision after the incident with the appearance in the sector of the fans of the "Anji" FC (Makhachkala) of the flag of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria has caused a negative reaction of other fans.

Some 150-160 trucks with supplies for Armenia have gathered near the checkpoint "Verkhni Lars" in the Russian-Georgian border because of adverse weather conditions, said Manuk Vardanyan, Minister of Transport and Communications of Armenia.

Today, Baku held funeral of the writer and publicist Rafiq Tagi, who died as a result of an attack undertaken on him on November 19. Journalists and the opposition have demanded a thorough investigation into his death.

In the evening on November 22, New York hosted the 21st awarding ceremony of the "Freedom of Press", held by the International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The Azerbaijani journalist Einullah Fatullaev was among this year's laureates.

Armenian activists have scheduled to hold, in the period from November 25 to December 10, a series of actions under the slogan "Against violence on women in family". November 25 is the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women.

The participants of the two-day Turkish-Armenian business forum, held on November 22-23 in Yerevan, decided in six months to hold a business conference in Turkey. According to their opinion, the main problem between Armenians and Turks is in mutual distrust and lack of information about each other.

The head of the Russian Social Insurance Fund for Ingushetia Magomed Markhiev, who was wounded during an assault on him, was brought by an aircraft of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) to Moscow.

On the day of parliamentary election, December, 4, oppositionists in Rostov-on-Don are planning to hold a people’s gathering “People against illicit election”.