News

On April 6, the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia sent a letter to law enforcement bodies of Malaysia on the case of the Georgian citizens - Babutsa Gordadze and Daredzhan Kokhtashvili - accused in this country of drug trafficking, asking them to change their penalty to long-term imprisonment instead of death penalty.

In the course of operative-search activities in the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, law enforcers blew them up on a mine-trap, said a source from law enforcement bodies. There are wounded and contused persons among the victims.

In Moscow, at the Schukinskaya metro station, Larissa Abdulaeva, a resident of Dagestan, was detained. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the police department of the Schukinskaya station that passengers of the metro train called the police and said that they saw a suspicious woman in their train.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has decided to consider the case of the opposition activist of Armenia and well-known journalist Nikol Pashinyan in accelerated manner. This was reported by Vage Grigoryan, one of Pashinyan's advocates.

In the Jalilabad District of Azerbaijan, located at 220 km to the south of Baku, the 15-year-old son of Tazakhan Miralamli, head of the local branch of the oppositional Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has been charged under Article 120 of the Criminal Code (wilful murder). Relatives of the perished boy blame doctors for his death. The oppositionist himself is still in hospital in Baku.

Today, the Moscow City Court has continued considering the criminal case on the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov. The defence of the accused Tikhonov and Khasis has presented to the court the witness Olga Mukhachova, who confirmed that at the moment of the murder Evgenia Khasis was with Alexei Baranovskiy.

The Nikulin Court of Moscow has arrested Magomed Aliev, who was detained on April 6 in the west of Moscow with a self-made explosive device.

The court of general jurisdiction of the communities Centre and Nork-Marash has imposed arrest on the property of the newspaper "Erkir" in performance of the suit filed by Deputy Tigran Arzakantsyan on insult and slander. The newspaper received the notification today by mail.

The famous boxer Samson Khachatryan, an activist of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), who is kept in custody, has serious health problems.

A conference called "War and Peace" devoted to problems of tolerance in Northern Caucasus is opening in Italy today. Problems of Beslan, attitude of the veterans of wars in Chechnya towards today's Caucasus and its residents will be discussed at the conference.

About 15 young people gathered in Vozrozhdenya (Renaissance) square of Stepanakert, capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. Sitting right on the ground each of them read aloud a page from their favourite books. The flash-mob took place on April, 3.

Mayor's Office of Yerevan once again prohibited the oppositional party Armenian National Movement (ANM) holding everyday meetings of the opposition in Svobody square for the period from April, 20, till April, 24.

Control Disciplinary Committee (CDC) of the Russian Football Union fined Petersburg "Zenit" club to 300 thousand rubles in connection with an incident with Brazilian Roberto Carlos, captain of "Anzhi" team, to whom one of "Zenit's" fans offered a peeled banana before the match on March, 21.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved five new sport events in the programme of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, namely: women's ski jumping; mixed relay in biathlon; half-pipe in snowboarding; and team competitions in figure skating and sleigh racing.

The Astrakhan Regional Court has dismissed the cassation complaint against the search in the house of Elena Grigorieva, a member of the community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Akhtubinsk, accused of inciting hatred and enmity. Grigorieva and her lawyer assert that the trial was held with violations, same as the search, which, in their opinion, had violated the right to the freedom of religion.

Vasif Miralamov, 15, a son of Tazakhan Miralamli, head of the local branch of the oppositional Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was detained in the Jalilabad District of Azerbaijan, located 220 km to the south of Baku, on suspicion of a murder. The oppositionist himself is in hospital with bodily injuries received at the Yasamal District Police Division, where he was brought after being detained during oppositional protests on April 2.

The indictment on the criminal case against three employees of the OVD (Interior Division) who beat a 14-year-old resident of Dagestan on July 20, 2010, has been sent to the Shamil District Court for consideration on the merits.

On April 5 in Moscow, an 18-year-old resident of Chechnya suspected of killing Pavel Kazakov, 19, a football fan on December 10, 2010. On that day Moscow saw funeral of Yegor Sviridov, a fan of the Moscow "Spartak" Football Club, killed in a fight with residents of Northern Caucasus.

According to preliminary results of the 2010 census, the average annual birth rate in Chechnya is about 32,000 newborns against the mortality rate of about 6200, with the migration loss of about 2000, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Ramzan Digaev, head of the Territorial Department of the Russian Federal State Statistics ("Rosstat") for the Chechen Republic.

Power agents hope to identify Dokku Umarov among those liquidated in Ingushetia; while the former Mayor of Volgograd is seeking his reinstatement, it was decided to liquidate the post of Mayor whatsoever - in favour of the post of City Manager; Azerbaijani authorities respond by mass arrests to mass protests, - look these and other events in the review of the week of March 28 to April 3, 2011, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".