News

In Azerbaijan, number of hunger-strikers demanding to release from prison the oppositionists, recognized by the international human rights organization "Amnesty International" as "prisoner of conscience", increased from 12 to 19. Convicted oppositionists are on hunger strike at prisons, and their free supporters are also on hunger strike.

The Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) conducts investigation into the case of beating in Elista of a man detained by policemen. The 47-year-old resident of the capital of the republic died from injuries.

The Special Investigatory Service of Armenia conducts investigation at the complaint of journalist Ruben Grdzelyan about his beating by Movses Manrikyan, the prosecutor on supervision over the lawfulness of investigation in the Kotaik Region.

Protest action under the slogan "Down with Homophobia!", organized by the Georgian NGO "Identity", ended in the centre of Tbilisi by confrontation of the participants of the protest action with representatives of clergy and the public organization "Union of Orthodox Parents".

Police officers detained a contract soldier, suspected of involvement in murder of a Turkish man committed in Rostov-on-Don and motivated by ethnic hatred. This was reported by Stanislav Kovalyov, First Deputy Head of the Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) in Rostov Region.

In Armenia, the today's court session on the case of the death of contract officer Artak Nazaryan in summer of 2010, made a decision to postpone the process for May 22 because absence of witnesses. The victim party believes that witnesses are being pressured.

Today, in Baku, the third for the last week protest action in front of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan was held. During the picket, like during recent protest actions, the participants demanded to stop anti-Azerbaijani provocations in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Embassy responded to the demonstrations, and it stated that the rallies represented part of Western community's policy in the region.

Today, the Kirov District Court of Astrakhan, which considers a lawsuit filed by Oleg Shein, ex-candidate for the position of the City Mayor, against the City Election Commission to invalidate the election of the Mayor, began to examine video records provided at the request of the Court by the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation from 160 precinct election commissions (PECs).

Relatives and friends of Khava Torshkhoeva, the seriously ill resident of Ingushetia, appealed with an open letter to Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the leader of the republic, in which they claim about the threat of Khava Torshkhoeva's life, since the Republic's Ministry of Health does not give drugs to be received by the women. The Ministry refers to complexity of the procedure for procurement of the drugs.

On May 15, in Volgograd, in Lenin Square, a rally was held, at which gardeners of the gardening association "Gourmand" urged officials to fulfil the law on the summer cottage amnesty adopted by the State Duma and to legalize the summer cottage land plots, which were allocated to the people more than twenty years ago.

On May 15, the Tuapse District Court held preliminary court session on the criminal case against Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, the activists of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" and the "Yabloko" Party. At the court session, the court considered 3 out of 14 motions of the defence. The next court session was appointed for May 22.

Death of a 16-year-old teenager in Volgograd was caused by explosion of a World War II shell. This was reported by representative of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

Today, in the city of Derbent, unidentified armed men in masks beat and kidnapped Tagir Gudjaev, born in 1984, and Rezvan Firzaliev, born in 1985, two Derbent residents. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Ali Gadjiev, a resident of Derbent, a friend of the disappeared men, with reference to eyewitnesses.

In Dagestan, Magomedkhan Magomedkhanov, a 34-year-old resident of Makhachkala, a native of the village of Kharachi of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, was kidnapped. This was reported by his relatives.

Today, Djamilya Feitullaeva, the resident of Makhachkala, reported that her husband disappeared on May 11 and till that moment, his whereabouts were unknown.

Policemen on duty at the check point in Makhachkala, where, on May 3, a double terror act was committed, refused to check a Gazel car, which had been pointed out as suspicious prior to explosion by local residents. This is stated by witnesses of the terror act, who are quoted by Timur Gusaev, the Dagestani blogger. The Investigatory Committee (IC) in Dagestan promises to verify the information.

Participants of the protest action, which was held today in front of the Iranian Embassy in Baku, demanded to stop anti-Azerbaijani provocations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). The picket, organized by the World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) and the International Centre of Azerbaijani Diaspora, was attended by more than 100 persons.

Today, near the building of the State Duma in Moscow, members of the Ingush regional social movement "Mekhk-Kkhel" (People's Parliament) held single pickets under slogans sounding: "Stop extrajudicial killings and kidnappings in Ingushetia!" and "Evkurov to resign!".

Igor Popov (Russia), Robert Bradtke (USA), and Jacques Faure (France), the co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, who visited Yerevan and Baku on May 11-14, expressed their concern over incidents on the contact line in the conflict zone.

State of health of Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, ex-officer of the Moscow GUVD (Chief Interior Division), the figurant of the case on the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the observer of the "Novaya Gazeta", has deteriorated during the May holidays, in SIZO (pre-trial prison), he had four epileptic attacks. This was stated by a source in the secret services.