News

Ambassador Fernando M. Valenzuela, Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU), paid a visit to the Republic of Ingushetia. During the visit he met with Magomed Mutsolgov, head of the human rights organization named "MASHR".

A trial of Bakhtiyar Gadjiev, accused of evading military service, starts in Azerbaijan. On April 7, the Nizami District Court of the city of Gandzha, chaired by Emin Akhundov, plans to hold a preliminary hearing on the case.

Yesterday, April, 5, actions in support of detained political prisoners passed off in two towns of Rostov region. As a result of the picket in Rostov three activists of "Another Russia" were detained. Activists in Taganrog had to organize a single-person picket because the municipal administration prohibited holding a meeting.

Yesterday, April, 5, oppositional community of Georgia put forward a suggestion to the ruling party to recommence negotiations on electoral system. The statement they issued runs that the opposition is ready to make some concessions but at the same time it is going to start a broad campaign of informing the population on the amendments it offers.

Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, 36, son of the first president of Georgia, who is serving his prison term has treated - in his letter to US President Barack Obama - the situation as "deplorable" in the Georgian penitentiary system, in justice, in the electoral system, and in the spheres of the freedom of speech and respect for human rights.

Today Chechnya will host the ceremony of official inauguration of Ramzan Kadyrov as the head of the republic. From April 2 on, security measures in central Grozny have been essentially intensified, causing, together with all the preparations, serious problems for the residents of the Chechen capital.

The rights of ethnic minorities in Georgia are duly protected, said 60.4 percent of respondents in the region of Kvemo-Kartli region, populated by Azerbaijanis, and in Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti, populated mostly by Armenians. This figure was voiced out on March 30 at presentation of the sociological study conducted in these regions last December.

The Georgian aviation authorities and UN officials will conduct a joint inquiry into the catastrophe, which happened with the UN aircraft belonging to the "Airzena-Georgian Airways" airline in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The reduction of the population of Ingushetia in-between the censuses of 2002 and 2010 happened due to the fact that the Chechen refugees, who stayed in Ingushetia in 2002, later returned to their former residences. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Ibragim Kurkiev, head of the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service ("Rosstat") for the Republic of Ingushetia.

The "Caucasian Knot" was reported at the administration of the Batumi port that the radioactive substance caesium-137 detected in the port has been already withdrawn and transported to a secure storage.

Alexei Baranovskiy, a friend of the defendants in the murder case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, is under threat of criminal liability for perjury, said the victims' advocate Vladimir Zherebenkov.

Issa Khashagulgov, a suspect of involvement in the terror act in Vladikavkaz, was transferred to the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of Vladikavkaz. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by one of Khashagulgov's advocates, who learned about removal of his client from the SIZO "Lefortovo".

Schools of Chechnya introduce new rules for high grade girls. Now, as reported by parents, in addition to compulsory wearing of headscarves, they will have to wear long skirts starting from the seventh form.

Today, the Tbilisi City Court has announced its ruling on the case of the persons detained on April 4 at the rally in support the prisoners' rights. They were sentenced to 20 and 25 days of administrative arrest.

In the evening of April, 4, an assault at Ramin Deko, journalist of an oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" ("Freedom") was committed in Baku. The journalist considers that the attackers had a connection with the people who the day before, April, 3, were holding him by force for several hours and having a "preventive talk" with him.

On April, 3, Saigidpasha Umakhanov, Head of Khasavyurt, signed an enactment of forming a reconciliation committee for solving conflict situations, arguments and reconciliation of parties. In addition to solving questions of adaptation of persons who decided to stop terrorist activities, the committee will deal with prevention of blood feud, domestic conflicts and kidnapping.

Major Magomed Taisumov, former deputy commander of the special-purpose battalion of the GRU "Vostok" (East), who was kidnapped in the evening of March 28 in the Gudermes district of Chechnya and later found murdered, was not tortured before his death, but was shot dead. Also, there are no credible evidences of involvement of Magomed Khambiev, a Chechen MP and a former defence minister of Ichkeria, a source from the law enforcement bodies of Chechnya asserts.

On March 31, the administration of Khasavyurt hosted the awarding ceremony of the well-known Dagestani human rights activist and journalist Isalmagomed Nabiev with the gold honourable sign "People's Hero of Dagestan" with delivery of the respective certificate. The ceremony was attended by residents of Khasavyurt, university students, members of the city administration, human rights activists and journalists.

Rasul Magomedov, a resident of the village of Balakhany, Untsukul District of Dagestan, and father of Anvar Sharipov, says that he knows nothing about the fate of his son who is now in Italy. Anvar Sharipov, brother of Maryam Sharipova, who, according to investigators, blew herself up in Moscow metro in March 2009, is suspected of complicity in preparing the explosions.

Journalist Oleg Teplischev has been again discharged from the ophthalmology ward of the Alexander-and-Mary Astrakhan hospital without proper treatment. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by the journalist himself. According to his story, the clinic is under pressure by the authorities; while doctors argue that Teplischev needs no hospitalization.