News

Today, in the village of Khasanya of Kabardino-Balkaria, Police Lieutenant-Colonel Vadim Sultanov, 36, an employee of Centre "E", was killed, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the Investigatory Department for Kabardino-Balkaria of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

The participants of the today's rally "For Fair Elections" have demanded to cancel the outcomes of the vote at the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation dismiss the head of the Russian CEC (central Election Commission) and release political prisoners.

Today, a sanctioned picket against falsification of the outcomes of the Russian State Duma elections was held in Sochi.

With the aim to support gifted children living in remote areas, the Rostov Region is opening a centre for distant learning. Now, they form 10 study groups per 10 pupils each.

On December 14, an incident occurred in the military unit "Egnikner" in Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in the soldier Narek Avetisyan, 18, losing his right eye. On December 17, Ensign Armen Tovmasyan was detained as a suspect of mutilating the soldier.

Uyryzmag Dzutsev, a supporter of the former presidential candidate Alla Djioeva, was detained by the employees of the South-Ossetian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) on suspicion of illegal possession of ammunition. Now, Mr Dzutsev is at large and at home under recognizance not to leave.

The Caspian Sea will develop cruise tourism, states the agreement on cooperation signed by the Governments of the Astrakhan Region and Ingushetia with the Russian Federal Tourism Agency ("Rosturism").

The analysis of the amendments to the Electoral Code of Georgia has shown that, taken overall, the document "prepossesses for democratic elections," runs the brief press release of the Venice Commission, circulated after the meeting on December 16.

Death penalty could be reintroduced for terror acts, as it is done in Belarus, Alexander Khloponin, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and President's Plenipotentiary for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), said on December 16 at a meeting with journalists in the city of Essentuki, Stavropol Territory.

On December 16, Inspector Alexei Petrechenko re-qualified the charge to Dmitry Putenikhin, an activist of "The Other Russia" from Article 296 of the Russian Criminal Code (a threat to an official) to Article 319 (public insult of a state official).

Investigators suspect two residents of the city of Mozdok in North Ossetia in beating of a 13-year-old Russian boy because of his nationality. According to the investigators, on that same day with an interval of 10 minutes, the teenager was twice attacked.

Aslan Sablirov, a resident of Nalchik, claims that power agents kidnapped and tortured him demanding to confess to possession of ammunition and aiding members of illegal armed formations.

On November 16, staff members of the "Maestro" TV Channel, working in emergency mode for several weeks, held a rally in front of the police building of the Vake-Saburtalo Districts in Tbilisi. They demanded to force Erosi Kitsmarishvili, the founder of the management company "Rustavi Media", out of the building.

Today, on December 16, the latest issue of the Dagestani weekly "Chernovik" (Draft) has published the last article, written by its founder Khadjimurad Kamalov. The article was published already after the death of the author.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning the murder of Rafiq Tagi in Azerbaijan and expressed their concern about the safety of Samir Sadagatoglu.

On December 16, the Baku Court of Appeal, chaired by Judge Vagif Mursagulov, upheld the verdict of the Sabail District Court to four opponents, who were arrested after the rally held in Baku on April 2.

The KGB (Committee for State Security) of South Ossetia has detained Uryzmag Dzutsev, a supporter of the oppositional leader Alla Djioeva on charges of illegal arms possession.

The incident with a throw-in of 92 ballot papers at the city polling station No. 21-20 in Krasnodar on December 4 was a provocation and had no effect on the outcomes of the voting, said Tatiana Shuruba, the chair of the Karasun Territorial Election Commission (TEC).

European Court of Human Rights started studying a lawsuit of four employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia discharged in February, 2008. This was reported by Vage Grigoryan, the diplomats' representative.

At about eight o'clock in the evening, December, 15, some unknown people kidnapped Alexander Misrihanov, General Director of the biggest network of jewellery stores in Dagestan.