News

According to Alexander Lozychenko, deputy chair of the Gukov Territorial Committee of the Russian Independent Coal Industry Workers' Trade Union ("Rosugleprof"), most likely, the prosecutor's checks conducted in the mines in the Rostov Region will not result in any improvement of the situation. According to his story, the revealed violations are usual for the regional coal industry.

Andrei Babushkin, head of the Committee for Civil Rights and a member of the Public Council at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), said in the course of the roundtable on the medical aspect of torture applied in prisons and isolation facilities that his Committee receives many applications from North-Caucasian inmates complaining that their rights as prisoners are restrained, including on the basis of their religious affiliation.

The criminality in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) is under effect of the nationalist-extremist underground groupings, which use different methods but have one aim - destabilization of situation. This was stated today by Arthur Makhov, deputy public prosecutor of the republic at the sitting of the Public Chamber of the KBR.

As reported today by the press service of the Kremlin, based on the outcomes of the meeting with Chechen leadership on June 14, 2010, President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev has approved the list of his instructions (orders).

Lately, more than twenty applicants from Chechnya, whose cases were supported by the International Advocacy Support Centre, received compensations under decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This was reported on June 22 by the head of the Centre Karina Moskalenko. In her opinion, justice in Russia faces huge obstacles.

The case of Sapiyat Magomedova, who was beaten in Khasavyurt, is considered by the investigatory division on especially important cases of the Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan, which refuses to give any comments on the course of inquiry. According to the head of the Khasavyurt OVD (Interior Division) Shamil Temigereev, lawyer Magomedova attacked militiamen herself.

On June 22, the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) found illegal the decision of the antiterrorist commission at the administration of the capital of the republic of December 24, 2009, to introduce a temporary ban on rallies, pickets and other mass political actions in the territory of the city of Nalchik.

The Moscow City Court (MCC) held a closed preliminary hearing on the case on murdering in September 2009 of the ex-deputy of the State Duma, Hero of Russia Ruslan Yamadaev.

A well-informed source in Chechnya told the "Caucasian Knot" that soon the recruiter of militants Alkhazur Bashaev, who was liquidated in November 2009, may be announced by the investigation to be the murderer of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Chechen branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", while the motive of her murder could possibly be found in the report of human rights activists, where Bashaev was mentioned. The employees of the HRC "Memorial" are afraid that this version may conceal real customers of the murder from responsibility.

In front of the building of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, a protest action is held by members of the Chechen Diaspora in France against illegal actions of power agents in Chechnya.

The case initiated on the death of Vaan Khalafyan, 24, has been transferred to the general jurisdiction court of the Kotaik Region. Four employees of the police saw their charges.

The claims like the one filed by President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov against the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" Oleg Orlov are not aimed at protecting one's good name, but attempt to restrict dissemination of information, as Svetlana Zemskova, a lawyer of the Fund in Defence of Glasnost, asserts.

In Azerbaijan, the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) has started a charitable campaign named "Marathon in support of 'prisoners of conscience'". The action is dated to the Day of National Press marked annually on July 22.

In central Sochi, nature defenders have again held a picket, asserting that many environmental problems of the resort have not been given due attention yet.

Employees of the office of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman have confirmed traces of bodily injuries in oppositionist Rovshan Nasirli, who was arrested on June 19 for his participation in the protest action of the oppositional block "Azadlyg" (Freedom).

The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated that Russian authorities should investigate the beating by militiamen in Dagestan of lawyer-rights defender Sapiyat Magomedova and bring those guilty to responsibility.

President of Russia visits Chechnya; head of HRC "Memorial" Oleg Orlov interrogated under the case of Ramzan Kadyrov's claim; militiamen severely beat lawyer Sapiyat Magomedova in Dagestan, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of June 14-20, 2010, in the Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Leonid Slutskiy, deputy head of the Russian delegation to the PACE and the first deputy chair of State Duma committee for international matters, has noted a great importance of the discussion by European MPs of the resolution on situation with human rights in Northern Caucasus. The head of the Russian delegation to the PACE Konstantin Kosachov finds the adopted resolution to be objective and well-balanced.

On June 22, the South-Ossetian party released, on the basis of the decision of the Tskhinvali District Court, three citizens of Georgia detained on June 20.

Today Tsotne, son of the first president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia, has stopped his hunger strike, as reported by his advocate Keti Bekauri.