News

In Azerbaijan, the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC) has established a special working group on violation of property rights of citizens. It included experts of civil society in various fields.

On November 24, the Moscow Garrison Military Court declared illegal the denial to initiate a criminal case on the fact of disappearance in the Russian capital of Muslims Zelimkhan Chibiev, Djamal Magomedov, and Akil Abdulaev on September 24, 2010.

In 2012, the Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Resettlement will legalize housing for 9000 families of internally displaced persons (IDPs). This was reported by Minister Koba Subeliani.

Today, security officers of the state oil company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) forced to evict residents of houses at residential community of Sulu Tepe of the village of Khodjasan of the Binagadi District of Baku. Arrived vehicles started demolition of the houses.

The journalist Fatima Tarasova, the staff member of the organization "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy), who was detained in Dagestan, was released from the Derbent GOVD (Chief Interior Department). This was told by Gulnara Rustamova, Chair of the organization "Pravozaschita", to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In Ingushetia, law enforcement officers renewed the investigation into the case against Ruslan Evkurov, the distant relative of Ingush President Yunus-Bek Evkurov, who was accused of fraud against residents of the village of Dolakovo.

The Monitoring Group of Human Rights Organizations of Azerbaijan (MGHROA) appealed to President Ilham Aliev asking him to grant pardon to 27 political prisoners in the country. Besides, the human rights defenders have emphasized worsening of human rights situation in Azerbaijan in 2011.

At today's session, the Moscow Regional Court has finished listening to testimony of Egle Kusaite on the case against Apti and Aishat Magmadov, the natives of Chechnya. Earlier, the defendants' lawyer filed a motion on the evidence of Egle Kusaite at the trial.

The criminal case of the fact of shooting down pregnant Sapiyat Magomedova by the policemen in 2006 was closed by Investigative Department (ID) of Committee of Inquiry of Russia (CIR) in Dagestan. This was reported by resident of the town of Khasavyurt Mamatkhan Baisultanov, the victim's father-in-law. He sent a letter to Head of Public Chamber of Dagestan Gamzat Gamzatov asking to help continue investigation.

The Embassy of Turkey in Russia did not confirm the information of non-payment of wages to the workers of Turkish construction company "Bora Inshaat". According to the Embassy, its representatives are in Grozny at the moment.

Regional Public prosecutor's office reports that magistrate of magistracy No 109 in Volgograd fined to three thousand rubles Deputy Head of Administration of Sovietsky district of the city who asked the priests to campaign the congregation for one of the parties at State Duma election.

Human rights activist Sergey Basmanov in Sochi who is currently serving administrative arrest for insubordination to the police went on a hunger strike as a sign of protest against the judgment.

The investigators consider the officer's professional activities as the main version of murder of Arsen Gajibekov acting as Head of Investigative Department (ID) of Committee of Inquiry of Russia (CIR) in Makhachkala district of Dagestan.

Amendments to the law on parties developed by the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan simply imitate the state support of political organizations and create obstacles to the political activities in the country. This conclusion was made by experts of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Education for Democracy (CEMED). Leaders of the political parties also criticize the amendments to the law; however, the authorities insist on advantages of amendments.

In Baku, a group of young activists held an action to raise interest in book reading. Police suppressed gathering of activists.

Three days after the meeting of the Dagestani commission for adaptation of militants, who decided to surrender, to civilian life, a 23-year-old Gasan Kurabekov, one more member of the armed underground, voluntarily surrendered himself to Rizvan Kurbanov, Chairman of the Adaptation Commission, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic's Government.

On December 8, in Moscow, the conference hall of the office of "Memorial" at No. 5 Karetny Lane made a show of the film by the well-known documentary filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya "A Bitter Taste of Freedom", dedicated to Anna Politkovskaya, the observer of the "Novaya Gazeta". The film contains unique documentary footage shot during several years of the journalist's life.

The Basmanny Court of Moscow has decided to extend the arrest of Rustam Makhmudov, the accused in the murder case of Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist of "Novaya Gazeta", till March 7, 2012, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed today at the court.

During the week of December 5-11, the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus took away at least five human lives; and at least 10 persons were injured. These are the results of calculations of the "Caucasian Knot", based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

On December 13, in Armenia, at the trial dealing with the death of Lieutenant Artak Nazaryan, the main witness Private Arman Mnatsakanyan changed his evidence against what he had said at the preliminary investigation, stating now that the officer died not on July 27, as documented in the case files, but early in the morning on July 26.