News

Activists demanding to hold repeated parliamentary elections and release those detained at protest actions have organized a motorcycle rally through the streets of Tbilisi.

The Russian Embassy has called on to find and punish the persons responsible for the murder of a heavy truck driver from Dagestan, who was found shot dead in Iran.

Pollution in Anapa, protests and two presidents in Georgia, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, victims of the energy crisis in Abkhazia, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 16-22, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Researchers have found out how men who are in areas at risk of conscription and mobilization into the Russian Army, but would not take part in military operations, choose their life strategies. They have also compared the motives and methods of action of residents of Russian central regions with those in Northern Caucasus.

The Gelendjik City Court has fined a local resident by treating her comment posted in a messenger as discrediting the Russian Army.

As follows from a fatwa (a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia), – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) of the Ulema Council of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Russia, polygamy is permissible for Muslim men in Russia, and a Muslim can be in a religious marriage with four women with fair and equal treatment of all his wives.

Five residents of Dagestan have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 8 years 6 months to 8 years 8 months in a penal colony in a case on the riots at an airport in Makhachkala.

The court ruling, which awarded Madin Gubzhokov compensation of 30,000 roubles for unlawful criminal prosecution, is incomparable with the moral harm caused by the actions of Azamat Kyaov, a former law enforcer. The amount is ridiculous and should be appealed against, lawyers and human rights defenders have stated.

The Georgian Government has decided to award the Order of Honour to eleven high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Human rights defenders have pointed out that on November 28, MIA's employees had held a deliberate dispersal of the protest; and one of the awardees was involved in the abuse of detainees.

The authorities of Dagestan did not respond to requests from relatives of the people convicted and accused in the case on riots at an airport in Makhachkala, so they had to appeal to the leader of Chechnya for help. Analysts believe that Ramzan Kadyrov refused the meeting due to his unwillingness to conflict with Sergey Melikov and to be known as the defender of the pogrom participants.

In the city of Baksan, volunteers of the "Alternativa" Movement have managed to free a man from labour slavery, who had been held by a gypsy family for about four months. Labour slavery is not typical for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR); only individual cases are reported, analysts believe.

The intensity of protests in Georgia is influenced by both the decisions of the authorities and the onset of cold weather and the approach of the New Year holidays. Given that protesters have been holding daily protest actions for 21 days already, another surge in activity can be expected on the day of the inauguration of the new president of Georgia.

Mansur Soltaev, the Chechen Ombudsperson, has petitioned the court for state protection for the family of Roman Murdiev, because they are receiving many threats.

The murder case of Magomed-Ali Sultanov, the 19-year-old resident of Kayakent, has been suspended, since the only accused person signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and asked to be sent to the special military operation (SMO) zone in Ukraine.

Relatives of those accused and convicted within the case of riots at Makhachkala Airport intended to ask for help from the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, but were unable to get an appointment with him. At a meeting with the Dagestani Ombudsperson, they wrote a letter to Sergey Melikov (the head of Dagestan) and threatened protests in case of no reaction.

Thirteen Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on country’s citizens to report about crimes and repressions amid the failure of public institutions to act under the law.

Options for cooperation with Syria were voiced by Ramzan Kadyrov as part of a PR campaign by the Russian authorities, who are trying to save face after the fall of the Assad regime, analysts note.

In Chechnya, law enforcers have detained two relatives of the activist who has criticized the republic's authorities.

A court in Chechnya has sent Zarema Musaeva into custody within a new criminal case of disrupting the activities of a penal colony. A human rights defender has linked the new case to a social media post placed by one of Musaeva's sons.

Since the start of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, over 51,000 fighters have been sent from Chechnya, including 20,400 volunteers. About 10,000 fighters from Chechnya are in the combat zone, Ramzan Kadyrov has reported on the departure of a new group from the Grozny Airport.