News

Relatives of Aslan Cherkesov, who serves his sentence in the Krasnoyarsk Territory for the murder of Yegor Sviridov, have claimed a pressure, exerted on the prisoner, and a hunger strike, held by him in protest. However, the Chief Department of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) of the Krasnoyarsk Territory treats the information as false.

Bacho Akhalaya, ex-Minister of Internal Affairs, who returned to Georgia, is ready to answer all questions, related to his activities at the position of the Chief of the Department of Corrections at the Ministry of Justice.

Builders of bypass road in Kobuleti (Georgia) again held a protest action. They claim that the employer has violated an agreement, reached several days ago.

Last week, on October 29-November 4, 2012, at least 12 persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of these, 8 persons were killed and 4 wounded. These are the results of calculations of the "Caucasian Knot" based on own materials of the edition and information from other open sources.

Actions of nationalists in cities of Southern Russia on the National Unity Day; resignation of the government of Kabardino-Balkaria; preliminary results of census and Raffi Ovannisyan's intention to run for presidency in Armenia; killing of imam of Dagestani mosque; sentencing of ex-policemen accused of torturing detainees; and a hunger strike of oppositionists in Ingushetia, – look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of October 29-November 4, 2012, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Relatives of Ruslan Medzhidov killed in a special operation in Dagestan on October, 30, state that he was kidnapped by unknown people on October, 28, the killed young man’s mother, resident of Kaspiysk Svetlana Alieva, reported.

An action in protection of the square named after Lado Gudiashvili, one of the oldest squares in Tbilisi, passed off in Georgia on November, 3. 150 people participated in it.

Fifteen convicts in penal colony No 12 in the settlement of Ksani, Central Georgia, sewed up their mouths as a sign of protest demanding to replace the administration of the penal facility.

On November, 4, Head of “Mehkh-Khel” regional civil movement Idris Abadiev was invited to Nazran municipal Department of Interior Affairs for a talk that lasted about four hours.

In Georgia, labour contracts have been terminated with 36 journalists of the "Imedi" TV Company. According to the dismissed journalists, no explanations were provided.

Today, the Ingush oppositionist Magomed Khazbiev, who was put in jail on October 19 for 15 days for an administrative offence, was released.

On November 3, in Kabardino-Balkaria, a shuttle (fixed-route taxi) ran against a passenger car: three persons were killed and ten more injured, the spokesman of the republic's MIA has reported.

As reported by the spokesman of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD), on November 2 and at night on November 3, the Armenian Armed Forces shelled the location of the Azerbaijani troops.

In North Ossetia, the court has sentenced Soslan Dzagoev, a 29-year-old criminal detective from Vladikavkaz, to 3.5 years in prison for abuse of power, expressed through beating and torturing a detainee.

As reported on November 3 by Ia Bobokhidze, the editor-in-chief of the "Akhali Gazeti", and Manana Managadze, an activist from the centre for defending civil interests "Argus", seven inmates were holding hunger strike for five days at the Kutaisi prison.

At night on November 2, a mass beating of inmates by the prison staff took place in the colony "Salyn IK-1", located in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. In protest, prisoners cut their veins; some of them tried to put themselves on fire, said Nina Efremova, an activist of the international public movement "Unity".

Georgia is waiting for Russia's response to the decision of the Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to introduce the post of Special Representative of the Prime Minister on settlement of Georgian-Russian relations, said Zurab Abashidze who was appointed to the post.

Raffi Ovannisyan, an ex-Foreign Minister and the current leader of the "Heritage" Party, has confirmed his readiness to participate in the upcoming presidential election in Armenia. He officially announced it at a press conference in Yerevan on November 2.

As reported by the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC), 12 participants of the action against amendments to the legislation aimed to toughen penalties for unauthorized demonstrations that took place in Baku were brought to administrative responsibility.

The non-Muslim villagers of Nigvziani, Lanchkhuti District of Georgia, demand to close the mosque that operates in the house of Archil Kakhadze, a migrant from Adzharia. On November 2, they gathered near the house and demanded that Muslims, who are ecological refugees resettled from Adzharia in 2006 after a landslide, stopped their prayers.