News

On June 26, in Grozny, human rights defenders and relatives of kidnapped people took part in the picket in defence of victims of violence, which was held in Journalists' Square at the Press House.

Igor Yurgens, Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (known as RSPP), filed a petition of withdrawal from the Council for Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under President of Russia.

The case against Vakhid Bersanov, ex-head of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise (FSUE) "Chechengazprom", accused of fraud in the amount of 35 million roubles, was brought to the court. This was reported by the press service of the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia.

Officers from the Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Combat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of North Ossetia detained a cadastral engineer of one of the commercial organizations on suspicion of taking a bribe, amounting to 500,000 roubles.

The Cherkessk City Court sentenced Police Ensign Vitaly Vitkovsky to 5 years and 2 months of imprisonment in a penal colony of high security for theft of service weapon and extortion. This was reported by the press service of the Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia.

In the Volgograd Region, Communists announced that on June 27, they would initiate collecting signatures on an appeal to the President and State Duma deputies to postpone ratification of the protocols on Russia's accession to the WTO.

Ruslan Ismailov, who was detained on June 23 in Makhachkala on suspicion of possession of fire arms, was subjected to severe torture. This was stated by Gadjimurad Izmailov, a lawyer from the "Kavkaz", representing the interests of Ruslan Ismailov. The lawyer has also stated that he was told at the IVS (temporary detention facility) at the GUVD (City Interior Department) of Makhachkala that Ruslan Ismailov waived his services of a lawyer. The lawyer himself had not seen his client since June 23.

Lawyer and human rights defender Rustem Valiullin, known for resonant cases, involving Muslims, disappeared in the Altai Territory. This was reported by a source at the Investigatory Committee of the Republic of Altai. The Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) does not exclude the possibility that the disappeared man drowned in the mountain river.

The PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights adopted two reports of political prisoners, compiled by Christopher Strasser, a German MP. One of the reports concerns the situation in Azerbaijan.

The position of Ombudsperson to protect rights of investors and entrepreneurs will be introduced in Ingushetia during the next week. This was announced by Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the leader of the republic.

Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), expressed his concern over the situation with human rights in Azerbaijan and urged the authorities to release arrested journalists.

After Lyudmila Alekseeva, the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, two other well-known human rights defenders announced their withdrawal from the Presidential Council on Human Rights. They are Valentin Gefter, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organization "Institute of Human Rights", and Boris Pustyntsev, Chairman of the Saint Petersburg public human rights organization "Civil Control". This was reported today by Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the Council.

Demand of Muftis of Northern Caucasus to hold fair consideration of the ban of 65 books on Islam in Orenburg; calamity that struck Djeirakh District of Ingushetia; arrival of repatriates from Syria in Kabardino-Balkaria and criminal case against Mayor of Nalchik; amnesty of "prisoners of conscience" in Azerbaijan; court's decision to fine Oleg Shein by 20,000 roubles for an unauthorized rally; protest action in Yerevan in context of beating military doctors near the MP's restaurant, - look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of June 18-24, 2012, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Today, representatives of the youth movement of "Georgia Dream", the political coalition of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, held an action "Chamber of Gossip" in front of the Control Chamber of Georgia in Tbilisi.

In the centre of Batumi, activists of a number of Georgian public and political organizations held a protest action against construction of a mosque.

In Dagestan, Gadjimurad Ismailov, a lawyer of the "Kavkaz" Bar, again cannot locate whereabouts of Rustam Ismailov, who was detained in Makhachkala on suspicion of bearing a firearm.

Ramazan Akhmedov, a resident of the village of Shamkhal, was allowed to take from the morgue the body of his nephew Iskhaq Magomedov, who was killed on June 10, according to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan, in the course of operational and search activities in the outskirts of the village.

In Abkhazia, a 35-year-old Lasha Belkaniya, who was kidnapped by unidentified persons for ransom, returned home alone. This was told to journalists by officers from the Gali ROVD (District Interior Division). His health state is satisfactory; however, his family members refuse to disclose the details of his return.

At the night of June 24, explosive devices of unidentified type were thrown into the yards of two mothers of persons, suspected of involvement in illegal military formations (IAFs) in Khasavyurt (Dagestan). Another explosive device was detonated near the house of a resident of Makhachkala. No one suffered.

On June 23, a rally against development of nickel deposits in the Voronezh Region was held in the township of Mikhailovka located in the Volgograd Region. The protesters demanded to repeal the nickel development project, because, in their opinion, it would entail a huge environmental damage.