News

The documentary "Barzakh" by Lithuanian producer Mantas Kvedaravichius about tortures and kidnapping in Chechnya was not only honoured by several cinema rewards but also became a discovery for many people in Europe.

On June, 1, young mothers of Volgograd held a picket demanding solution of the problem of the lack of places in kindergartens in the nearest future. The next picket will pass off today.

Chief Directorate of the Committee of Inquiry brought a charge against Rustam Makhmudov of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, observer of "Novaya Gazeta", and a number of other crimes, representative of the office Vladimir Markin reported today.

Maryat Alieva, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Adygea, was detained and accused of abusing her powers during the USE (Uniform State Exam). Opening of a criminal case is now considered.

At the travelling session of the Presidential Council on Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, which takes place today in Makhachkala, Gulnara Rustamova, co-chair of the Dagestani movement "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy), spoke about plans to establish a centre intended to help the women, whose husbands had been killed in special operations or are in prisons. Summing up the today's discussion, Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the above Council, said that President would need concrete measures to change the situation in the region.

On May 31, the action of united oppositional forces in defence of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, stipulating the freedom of assembly, passed without any clashes with the police; no arrests and provocations were fixed.

The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Badri Bitsadze, former head of Georgian Frontier Police, to two months of pre-trial detention. Badri is the husband of Nino Burjanadze, ex-Speaker of the Parliament and the leader of the "People's Assembly". This was reported by the press service of the oppositional association. The country's MIA has not yet confirmed this information.

Dispersal of oppositional protest in Tbilisi; amnesty announced in Armenia covering political prisoners; disaster was caused by torrential rains in Southern Russia; Russian Nogais hold their congress in Dagestan ", - look these and other events in the review of the week of May 23-29, 2011, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Today at 11 a.m. in Dagestan, unidentified assailants in civilian clothes kidnapped Magomedov, Magomed Muslimovich, born in 1990, a resident of the village of Cheryomushki, Kizlyar District. It was reported by the young man's neighbours. According to recent reports, he is kept at the GOVD (City Interior Department) of Kizlyar.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, a meeting took place in Moscow of Susanna Dudieva and Elvira Tuaeva, members of the Association of Victims of Terror Acts "Beslan Mothers", with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

In the evening on May 31, after the special operation, which resulted in liquidation of David Murashev, suspected of murdering Shamil Dzhigkaev, a famous Ossetian writer and dean of the philology department of the local university, the Ossetian police arrested 15 Muslims, said Ibrahim Dzagurov, assistant Mufti of North Ossetia.

The journalists, who were taken to the OVD (Interior Division) from the today's rally in central Makhachkala, were set free a couple of hours later. This was reported by one of the detainees - Abubakar Rizvanov, Director of the "Khuda Media" Centre.

On June 1, the International Children's Day, a rally "Take Care of Children" was held by the "Beslan Mothers" Association of Victims of Terror Acts in the yard of Beslan School No. 1, which was hit by a terror act in September 2004.

A supposed militant has surrendered and pled guilty of organizing the terror act in the central marketplace of Vladikavkaz on September 9, 2010.

On May 31 - the World No Tobacco Day - a flash mob was held by Rostov activists of the public organization "Molodaya Gvardiya" (Young Guard) with the support of the Russian Ministry for Public Health and Social Development.

This summer the authorities of Anapa will open free kindergartens in the beaches of Anapa where the holidaymakers will be able to leave their children under the tutors' care for some space of time.

The Georgian Association "For Advocacy of Media" sent a statement to the Minister of Interior Affairs of Georgia Vano Merebishvili asking for investigation of all the cases of beating and detention of journalists and destroying there devices during dispersal of the oppositional meeting in Rustaveli avenue on May, 26.

On May, 31, human rights activist Sergey Basmanov held a one-person picket in Sochi within the framework of the action "Strategy-31" in protection of clause 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to him, the action passed off without incidents.

The State Duma has adopted amendments to the Criminal-Executive Code of the Russian Federation, under which those convicted for involvement in illegal armed formations (IAFs) and extremism may be sent to serve their terms to any region of Russia, regardless of where the crime was committed. Human rights defenders were against the amendments.

On May 30, several dozens of protesters rallied in Yerevan in front of the courthouse against the trial of Tigran Postanjyan.