News

Today, in Azerbaijan, at penal institutions, convicted oppositional activists recognized by the international human rights organization "Amnesty International" as "prisoners of conscience", went on a hunger strike demanding their release. This was reported by Gyulaga Aslanly, Secretary of the Coordinating Council (CC) of the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC).

In Kaspiisk, officers of the local OVD (Interior Division) do not hamper parishioners of the mosque, located in Aeroflotskaya Street, to perform prayers in the building, although yet on April 21, they asked parishioners not to do that. This was reported by Timur Emirbekov, the leader of local Muslims. The incident was resolved after interference of a top-ranking official.

Today, in Makhachkala, relatives of people kidnapped in Dagestan again gathered near the Republic's Prosecutor's Office. They claimed that they planned to hold a large-scale protest action in Makhachkala.

Vyusal Nabiev, a soldier of the Azerbaijani National Army, shot dead his colleague Medjnun Garazade from service weapon and then committed suicide.

Police detained 10 persons for taking part in an unsanctioned protest action against holding in Krasnodar the exhibitions "Icons", brought by gallerist Marat Gelman.

Today, near the building of the Tuapse District Court, during the trial on the case against Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, a man pierced wheels of the car, in which Krasnodar activists had arrived. While escaping in a car, he hit Igor Kharchenko, the activist of the "Yabloko" Party, who tried to detain him, eyewitnesses report.

In the Soviet District of Volgograd, in one of the private houses, an explosion of unidentified device occurred. As a result, a 16-year-old teenager got serious injuries and died in hospital.

In the evening of May 15, in Baku, Elnur Medjidli, the activist of the youth organization of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was released from prison.

During a gathering on May, 14, tenants of house No 2, 20th Gornostrelkovaya division street, declared violations of their right for safe dwelling by the constructors of a roadway.

The families of the lost people and those who got injured in the road accident with the participation of buses in the settlement of Inozemtsevo, Stavropol region, will get financial aid, Ivan Gerter, Chairman of the Government of Kabardino-Balkaria, said at a session of the Government on May, 14.

Defendant Zaur Tokhov will participate in the trial on the case of assault at Nalchik in a lying position for one month and a half. A special trestle bed was set in the courtroom for this purpose.

In the city of Kaspiisk, relatives of Sedritdin Khalibekov, a local resident, seek help from rights defenders in searching for him. They believe that Makhachkala policemen had to do with Sedritdin's disappearance. However, law enforcers fail to confirm this information.

On May 13, in the city of Derbent, an attempt was undertaken to kidnap Ramil Yarmagomedov, a resident of the city of Dagestanskie Ogni. He suspects that Dagestani special agents and law enforcers were involved and fears further provocations against him. The on duty unit of the Derbent GOVD (City Interior Department) said that on that day no special actions were conducted in the city.

Today, the Supreme Court of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR) has completed considering the appeal lodged by the oppositional activist Zeynal Bagirzade accused of falsifying documents and illegally receiving pension. Judge Ilgar Mirzoev has amended the verdict of first instance court and replaced a significant term of imprisonment for a suspended (conditional) sentence. Bagirzade was released in the courtroom.

Preliminary results of parliamentary elections in Armenia, according to which 80 percent of seats go to pro-government candidates; earthquakes in Azerbaijan; oppositional rallies in Volgograd; protests against Gelman's exhibition and opposition's "folk festivities" in Krasnodar; fights and attacks with casualties in Dagestan, - look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of May 7-13, 2012, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

This evening, the city of Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, was the venue of a series of pickets in support of Suren Gazaryan and Evgeniy Vitishko, the activists of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" and "Yabloko" Party, who are under a threat of five years of colony imprisonment.

During the today's attempt of the Civil Movement for Democracy "Public Chamber" (CMDPC) to hold an unauthorized protest action the police detained 18 people. They were released after warning, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.

According to Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance" and a member of the Board of the HRC "Memorial", the custody of Malkho Bisultanov, a native of Chechnya, who was detained in the territory of the "Mosfilm" Studio and accused of trying to sell drugs, was extended for the fifth time; and this was done without the presence of a lawyer.

Five persons injured by the explosion of balloons on May 4 are still treated at resuscitation wards of Yerevan hospitals.

Relatives of Rashid Ismailov, who was kidnapped in May in Makhachkala, have picketed the Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan, demanding a meeting with Andrei Nazarov, the Public Prosecutor of the republic. They were supported by relatives of Timur Danilin and Magomed and Abdullah Murtuzaliev, who were kidnapped in March.