News

Refugees from South Ossetia, living in the Tbilisi Hotel "Abkhazia", continue to hold protests against their eviction, scheduled for August 15 by the Ministry for Internally Displacement Persons, Resettlement and Refugees in Georgia.

Vidadi Iskenderov, the head of the NGO "Promotion for the Defence of Democracy", faces a threat of 3-5.5 years of imprisonment. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Khalid Bagirov, the lawyer of the human rights activist.

On August, 9, Byelorussian frontiers detained five natives of Chechnya, citizens of the Russian Federation, two little children among them.

The World championship in one of the oldest kinds of martial arts, wrestling on the belts, will be held in Astrakhan from August, 11, till August, 14.

Replaced persons protested against their expected eviction from “Abkhazia” hotel in Tbilisi at an action in front of the Ministry of the Affairs of refugees.

The human rights activists who organized a memory action in Grozny timed to the second anniversary of the murder of Zarema Sadullaeva and her husband Alik Jabraiilov declared that they would appeal to the management of Investigative Department of Chechnya demanding investigation of the murders of members of the organization “Save the Generation” and human rights activist Natalia Estemirova.

This morning people with equipment for demolition of street kiosks and booths came to Papazyan Street in the Yerevan community of Arabkir. Their actions were accompanied by violent protests of the owners, who find the decision of the city authorities unlawful.

Alim Bitokhov, a defendant in the case on the so-called "Urvan Jamaat", challenged his lawyer Eduard Samoilov because of his disagreement with the latter's defence tactics. The panel of judges of the North Caucasian District Military Court dismissed the defendant's motion, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

In Ingushetia, investigators suspect Magomed Khashagulgov, Managing Director of the OJSC "Airport Magas" of abuse of power, and Magomed Tsurov, his predecessor in the post, – of illegal entrepreneurship. This is stated in the message of the Prosecutor's General Office of Russia.

The party "Georgia's Way" demands to pay a ransom for Georgian sailors captured by Somalia pirates from the President's Fund. This was announced by Mamuka Baliashvili, the head of the youth wing of the party.

Representatives of the international public movement "Supreme Council of Ossetians" have met Eduard Kokoity, President of the Republic of South Ossetia, and expressed their disagreement with his decision not to run for the third presidential term.

More than 20 persons have already addressed the Office of the Children's Ombudsperson in the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KCR) after Larisa Abazalieva was appointed to the position. According to her story, the most serious problems in Karachay-Cherkessia are provision of housing for children-orphans and lack of institutions for rehabilitation of disabled children.

In the evening of August, 9, seven young activists of youth branch of Armenian National Congress (ANC) were detained in the center of Yerevan.

On August, 9, hearing on the merits of a case against four activists arrested in connection with the meeting of April, 2, in the center of the capital of Azerbaijan, started in Nasimi district court of Baku under the chairmanship of judge Shakhin Abdullaev. The session passed off under tight security for the reason of arrival of about two hundred people from a group of the defendants’ public support.

The tenants of a five-storey house in Khankalskaya street, No 90, in the town of Grozny exploded by Russian military men in November, 2002, will receive indemnity payment for their lost dwellings. The respective instruction has been signed by Chairman of the Government of Chechnya Odes Baisultanov.

The refugees in Tbilisi living in “Abkhazia” hotel ask for deferment of eviction. On August, 9, they held an action in front of the hotel demanding meeting with the investor.

Representatives of the North Caucasian intellectuals made a statement in connection with an appeal of the Russian Jewish Congress to the Public Chamber (PC) of the Russian Federation demanding to exclude Maxim Shevchenko from its membership. According to the intellectuals from the North Caucasian republics, Maxim Shevchenko is one of the few public figures in Russia, who is closely engaged in the North Caucasus issues and knows the problems of the region.

According to the State Committee on Resorts and Tourism of Abkhazia, during the current holiday season the number of tourists, coming to Abkhazia, has reduced by at least 15 per cent in comparison with that of last year. The main reason is declared to be the decline of world tourism.

At today's meeting, the Council of Elders of the Yerevan City Mayoralty decided to demolish stalls and booths in the city; however, no land plots will be granted for new stalls.

Opening of the complex "Grozny-City" will be conducted together with the City's Day and the birthday of the leader of the republic Ramzan Kadyrov, which are to be celebrated on October 5. At the opening ceremony, the organizers plan to show the presentation in 3D format and to arrange a laser show and fireworks.