News

The main mission of the two-day World Congress of Chechen People opened today in Grozny was formulated by its organizers as unification of all the Chechens living in different countries of the world. Observers, however, believe that the forum is held in Grozny as an opposition to the World Chechen Congress, which was held on September 16 in Poland with the participation of representatives of the non-recognized Ichkeria.

The cassation instance of the Astrakhan Regional Court has upheld the guilty verdict on the criminal case against Vyacheslav Gadjiev, head of the Aksarai village soviet. The court found that he was guilty of villagers' deaths in the fire that happened in the settlement. At the same time, there is an opinion in the villagers that real culprits of the tragedy are high-ranking officials.

The prosecutor's check conducted at the "Adamij Psycho-Neurological Orphanage" revealed numerous violations of the law. Consideration of the presentation on elimination of the violations will be held in the near future, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Sergey Mitusov, senior assistant of the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Adygea.

The Georgian Parliament has disregarded many of the recommendations of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission). This was stated by Thomas Markert, head of this independent advisory body to the Council of Europe on the constitutional law.

Abumuslim Nurmagomedov, head of the village of Khadzhalmakhi in Dagestan, perished on October 10 from his wounds received in a skirmish that burst out from an unexpected shot in the air, said Magomed Magomedov, one of the villagers. According to his version, nobody knows who opened fire, but there is a version that they were militiamen. He also believes that the cause of the incident was in the elections.

On October 11, a special vehicle named "Hydrema" and designed for de-mining tripped over a mine and blew up in the Grozny District of Chechnya during clearing arable land from explosive devices. Experts say that this was the first incident of this sort that occurred with this machinery. Two sappers inside the vehicle were not injured.

The Kabardino-Balkar Human Rights Centre has published an appeal in relation to the five-year anniversary of the attack on Nalchik on October 13, 2005, stating that not only those who preached armed jihad are to be blamed for the incident, but also the power structures, the then political leadership of the republic, and in general the society of Kabardino-Balkaria.

The Parliament of Georgia is going to pass a new edition of the Constitution without waiting for final recommendations of the Venice Commission which will take place before October, 15, Michail Machavariani, Vice-speaker of the Parliament declared on October, 11.

Ahmed Zakaev, Head of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI), has resolved to stop the activities of this Government and declared that he and his adherents acknowledged "State Committee of Defense - Shura Majlis" headed by Khusein Gakaev the supreme governing body of Ichkeria "for the war period".

A more severe charge against Ahmedpashi Aidayev, native of Chechnya, the main suspect of the murder of football fan Yury Volkov has been brought, Abusupyan Gaitayev, the defendant's attorney, reported on October, 11.

An unidentified person in Stavropol shot down the President of charitable fund "Renaissance", the man died on-site.

On October 14, at 5:30 p.m., in Chistoprudny Boulevard, near the monument to Griboyedov, a rally is planned in defence of journalists Nadezhda Nizovkina and Tatiana Stetsura, accused of extremism for distributing human rights leaflets about the Caucasus. The rally is organized by the Anti-War Movement.

Rifkat Shabanov, a deputy of the Astrakhan Regional Duma, has accused Oleg Teplischev, a journalist of the Astrakhan-based newspaper "Zhitel" (Resident) of beating him during the election of Mayor of Astrakhan on October 11, 2009. Oleg Teplischev and eyewitnesses to the incident assert that the journalist had not attacked the deputy.

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Abkhazia has moved a number of versions associated with the attack on members of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Abkhazia (SAM) committed on October 8 in the city of Gudauta.

In spring this year two young men beat a young Azerbaijani on the motive of ethnic hatred. Today, it became known that they were sentenced.

On October 2, in the village of Kistauri, Akhmet District of Kakheti (Georgia), after a quarrel between the head of local administration and local resident named Otar Saakashvili, the latter was detained by the militia and sentenced to five days in jail.

As stated today by Nino Kalandadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, residents of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea will have the right to stay in Georgia without visas for 30 days.

The next session of the Khamovniki Court of Moscow to consider the claim lodged by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov against Oleg Orlov, head of the HRC "Memorial" will take place on October 14 at 11:00 a.m. The prosecution party will continue presenting its proofs; and evidences of both sides' witnesses will be heard.

On October 7 in Krakow, the Society "Memorial" was awarded with the Prize named after Sergio Vieira de Mello. The work of human rights defenders in Northern Caucasus was especially noted.

The election of Mayor of the city of Makhachkala was accompanied by numerous violations. This was stated by Isalmagomed Nabiev, a resident of Makhachkala, a publicist and chairman of the independent trade union of entrepreneurs and drivers of Dagestan. He said that he had witnessed the members of the election commission filling in ballot papers by taking out passport data from voters' lists.