News

About 200 citizens of the republic, mainly Maikop residents, gathered to hold a rally in the central square of the city.

A new website named "Never-to-be-forgotten" appeared on the Internet; its topics are the issues relating to Stalin's deportation. The site was launched by the Archive Department of the Chechen Government and the Committee on Youth Matters with the support of the republic's parliament. It took them about four months to start a new web portal; and its database already keeps 60,000 deportees' personal files.

On February 22, the Lefortovo District Court held a session on the case of Issa Khashagulgov. Judge Alexander Rybak extended his custody till May 25, 2011. The prosecution believes that Khashagulgov was involved in the terror act in Vladikavkaz in September 2010; his relatives insist on his innocence.

According to unofficial sources, several dozens of young men have organized a march today in the afternoon in the Izmailovo Park and shouted nationalist slogans. The militia has not confirmed this information yet.

At midday on February 23, the "Russian March", sanctioned by the authorities, started from the House of Culture "Metroelectrotrans" in Volgograd. The main slogan of Volgograd nationalists was: "Down with Corruption and Russophobia in Governmental Bodies!"

Five law enforcers received gunshot wounds of varying gravity in the course of a clash with suspected militants in Kabardino-Balkaria.

According to General James Clapper, Director of the US National Intelligence Service, the latest steps of the official Tbilisi towards the nations of Northern Caucasus is a factor that could increase the tension in the region.

Nadir Mamedov, a resident of Nakhichevan, said that he was forced to leave the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR) because of police pressure. This statement was made at a press conference on February 21 in Baku in the office of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS). The NAR's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) denied putting any pressure on Mamedov.

The litigation on the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova will be long and scandalous, since it has caused resonance in the ultra-right-wing environment. This is the forecast of Alexander Verkhovskiy, director of the "Sova" Information-Analytical Centre.

Today, members of the Association of Victims of Terror Acts "Beslan Mothers" had a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, who came to Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, to hold a sitting of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC).

Assassination of tourists, collapse of ropeway and miraculously prevented terror act have called into question the tourist attractiveness of the Elbrus region; however, prospects of another ski resort - the pre-Olympic Sochi - continue gaining momentum; "Edinaya Rossiya" failed to find any "fresh" candidates for heading Chechnya; refugees' active protests in Georgia brought ownership rights to them, - look these and other events in the review of the week of February 14-20, 2011, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Sochi now sees the final phase of building new residential districts for resettlers from the places where future Olympic objects will appear. About half of the families agreed to the governmental compensations. Most of them hold their housewarming parties; some of the settlers preferred to receive money. However, some citizens still refuse to sign agreements, finding compensation amounts to be inadequate.

According to one of local residents, an owner of the shop selling alcohol was assassinated in a suburb of Makhachkala; however, the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs did not confirm this information.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has noted, when speaking at the sitting of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC), held in Vladikavkaz, said that fight against extremists on the Internet, including religious ones, should be waged by creating special resources.

Today, before the court session on the case of Issa Khashagulgov, a resident of Ingushetia accused of possessing weapons, at the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow, journalists of the "Caucasian Knot" Lydia Mikhalchenko and Ekaterina Seleznyova, as well as defendants' relatives, were not let into the courtroom without presenting any legal grounds.

In Georgia, the IDPs (internally displaced persons), who had been picketing the Ministry for Refugees' Matters and Accommodation for five months, have moved into the temporary residence provided to them by the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Today, activists of the youth movement "Ara" (No) and the NGO named "Homeland, Language, Faith" held a sit-down rally in front of the US Embassy in Tbilisi, urging diplomats to help in releasing those convicted on political grounds.

The consideration of the case of the women-citizens of Georgia detained in Malaysia for drug trafficking is scheduled for March 4. This was reported today by Nino Kalandadze, Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia. According to her story, Eldar Davitiani, the husband of one of the detainees, has been already sentenced in Georgia to 15 years of imprisonment.

Tragic incidents in Kabardino-Balkaria will continue. This was stated today at the Independent Press Centre in Moscow in the course of a press conference held by the Ingush oppositionist Magomed Khazbiev, Chechen human rights defender Kheda Saratova and political scientist Geidar Dzhemal on the topic "Tension in Ingushetia as Result of Authorities' Blunders".

The aim of the unidentified criminals, who on February 18 murdered a group of tourists from Moscow in Kabardino-Balkaria, could be the daughter of former FSB head Nikolai Patrushev. The Russian Security Council has already stated that one of the casualties - Irina Patrusheva - was a namesake of the former FSB boss.