News

Today, Elista - the capital of the republic - and its districts hosted commemoration actions dated to the 67th anniversary of deportation of the Kalmyk people. On December 27, 1943, a decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet was signed "On Liquidation of the Kalmyk ASSR", and on the following day the operation "Uluses" was launched, which assumed forced resettling of the entire nation to remote localities of the country.

Arsen Abaikhanov, who on July 25 in Karachay-Cherkessia knocked down by his car Bella Ksalova, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, who later died, has lodged a cassation complaint to the Supreme Court, claiming that "the verdict was unfair and too severe." As reported by the office of the Prikubanskiy District Court, Abaikhanov's cassation will be considered only after the New Year. So far, he is at large.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Begkham Atigov, Acting Secretary of the Security Council of Ingushetia. On November 18, Israil Torshkhoev was taken away to some unknown place by unknown persons in camouflage and masks.

As reported by the spokesman of the Southern Regional Centre of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), two young men suffered in an explosion of household gas in the village of Nesterovskaya, Sunzha District of Ingushetia.

Under the pressure of ecologists the Customer's Service of the Directorate for Complex Reconstruction of Railways and Construction of Railway Objects in the City of Sochi (known as "DKRS-Sochi") of the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "Russian Railways" has held a repeated dendrological examination of Cape Vidny. After the examination, it was decided to transplant the Red-Book plants growing in the way of the construction. However, ecologists are going to fight for changing the whole railway construction project.

Marina Mamisheva, a resident of Nalchik and mother of Astimir Mamishev, who is searched on charges of committing a number of crimes, claims that her family - she and her two other sons - have no relation to Astimir's activities.

In the capital of Dagestan, unidentified criminals tried to blow up a car belonging to an employee of the Savings Bank of Russia. One person was wounded, supposedly, the car owner.

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan, chaired by Imran Gadzhigaibov, has dismissed the cassation appeal of journalist Fatullaev. The complaint was filed against the decision of the Baku Court of Appeal about Fatullaev's freedom restriction measure in the form of arrest.

An ex-officer of the republican riot squad was attacked last night in the village of Bairamaul, Khasavyurt district, a source in law enforcement bodies of the republic reported.

An explosion took place on December, 27, in the ground floor of a five-storey domestic building of 60 flats in Kalmykov street in the micro-district of Volny Aul, Nalchik.

A piquet in support of the journalists taken into custody in the countries of CIS passed off in Moscow, opposite the Belarusian embassy. The participants also spoke about the cases of victimization and murders of journalists in Northern and Southern Caucasus.

The Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation has sent an appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office against the sentence to former rector Galina Kroshka. During the reception of citizens in the village of Kuschevskaya, the head of the ICPO Alexander Bastrykin was addressed by Evgenia, Galina Kroshka's daughter.

At today's sitting of the State Council the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev called his law enforcement bodies to immediately suppress any attempts of inciting ethnic enmity and riots. He also opposed the idea of setting up the Ministry for National Policy, but demanded from heads of Russian regions to "start working" towards counteracting the interethnic enmity.

On December 22, in the village of Chermen, Prigorodny District of North Ossetia, Zalina Elkhoroeva, 30, a resident of the city of Nazran (Ingushetia), was abducted. As reported by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" in the statement that arrived to the editorial office of the "Caucasian Knot", this fact was announced by Zalina's father - Idris Elkhoroev.

The Chechen authorities are tightened the marriage rules for the republic's citizens. Now, young people willing to get married will have to present medical certificates about absence of severe diseases.

In December, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a special report on murders of journalists in the world. The list lacks the names of three lost Dagestani journalists. According to the Glasnost Defence Foundation (GDF), their murders had to do with their professional activities.

Employees of the State Social Care Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Matters Affairs have organized a protest action in Yerevan, in front of the building of the government, against mass layoff.

The mass fight in the village of Stepnoye between Cossacks and natives of the Caucasus burst out against the background of drinking alcohol, rather than on ethnic grounds. This was reported by the spokesman of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) of the Stavropol Territory.

A criminal case on charges of embezzling about 6500 euros has been initiated against Alvaro Antonyan, head of the National Seismic Service of Armenia and Director of the Public Organization "Centre for Support of Programme of Seismic Risk Reduction".

Some 120 persons took part in another picket held in Makhachkala by former soldiers of the war in Afghanistan. At a later meeting with state officials veterans decided to postpone their hunger strike until a meeting with the president of the republic.