News

On the eve of the Memory Day of journalists who perished at execution of their professional duties, President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov made a special statement naming journalists "warriors of the pen and worthy people."

Press releases were disseminated among local media in this city on behalf of the regional branch of the All-Russian NGO named "Young Europe". The letters recommended "informing children in educational establishments about persons of non-traditional sexual orientation."

The European Parliament, by awarding the Andrei Sakharov Prize to the members of the HRC "Memorial" and the Moscow Helsinki Group, is expressing gratitude to all Russian human rights defenders. This is said in the statement of the Chairman of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek.

Today, Khadizhat Shikhalieva, chair of the "Muslimat" Society, and a group of residents of Novy Kyakhulai village, Leninsliy District of the city of Makhachkala, and of Sergokala settlement, Sergokalin District, have addressed President of Dagestan Mukhu Aliev with a request to protect children, according to the Law "On Personal and Public Morals in the Republic of Dagestan", against the fatal influence of morals degradation as covered by media.

The refugees from Chechnya and Georgia, who tried to get to Germany from the territory of Poland, were placed for the night in the settlement of the frontier guards; and today they will be returned to the refugee centres, where their further stay in the territory of Poland will be decided on the individual basis. This was reported by Polish journalist Augustina, who cooperates with the newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza".

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has finished the service check in relation to Militia Major from Novorossisk Alexei Dymovskiy and has delivered its results to the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation. Mr Dymovskiy himself believes that initiation of a criminal case against him is a clinched matter.

Starting today, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" resumes the full scope of its work in Chechnya. It was suspended after the murder of the human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, as Oleg Orlov, the head of the Centre said at a press conference in the European Parliament.

The rumours that defendants in the case of 2007 "Neva-Express" train explosion refused to evidence have nothing to do with reality: they just demand to observe the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP), according to which the prosecution party should be listened to completely prior to defendants' evidences. This was stated by Murat Yunusov, who is defending their interests.

The employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" in Chechnya Natalia Estemirova "had one motivation - a human's right to human rights, and, first of all, to the right to life and human dignity", said Vladimir Pozner, a renown TV journalist.

Georgia sees growth in swine flu patients. 65 children are kept in the central children's clinic of Tbilisi (Murman Iashvili hospital) with symptoms of A/H1N1virus. Nino Kikodze, head of urgent aid ward, said in her conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that currently the diagnosis is confirmed in some 30-35 patients. The oppositional Labour Party of Georgia demands to urgently announce the epidemic in the country.

According to Russian diplomatic sources, Georgia is planning to try to return the Akhalgori (Leningori) District of South Ossetia by means of force. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) also finds this threat real. According to a source from this Ministry, the Georgian troops deployed opposite this district, have been recently strengthened, their rotation is intensified; and western instructors are training Georgian militaries in skills of mountain war, applicable in the region.

On December 14 in the evening, in Khasavyurt, unidentified persons shot Taifur Eldarkhanov, imam of one of local mosques. Now, the wounded churchman is in hospital.

Today in Sukhumi, an agreement was signed on establishment of diplomatic relations between Abkhazia and the Republic of Nauru - one of the smallest countries in the world. Nauru, thus, has become the fourth country to recognize Abkhazia.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) issued the following statements today after learning that a Russian court sentenced a law enforcement official to two years in prison for the murder of independent journalist Magomed Yevloyev.

In the morning on December 15, in Nakhichevan, three participants of the project of the local Resource Centre on Human Rights and Democracy were beaten by a group of unidentified persons. The reason of the attack was in the anticorruption project of this public organization.

Today, Isalmagomed Nabiev, one of the figurants of the so-called "execution list", a publicist, human rights activist and chairman of independent trade union of drivers and businessmen of Dagestan, has stated that so far the corresponding instances gave no reaction to his request to protect him with state defence.

Twenty deputies of the National Assembly of Armenia, who mainly represent the parties of the ruling coalition, have addressed President Serzh Sargsyan with an appeal to pardon Sasun Mikaelyan, an imprisoned activist of the opposition and a veteran of the Karabakh War.

The law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic assert that they have managed to prevent a big subversive and terrorist act. Last Saturday, on December 12, in the foothill Kurchaloy District of the republic, a militants' hideout with ammunition and explosives was liquidated.

At night on December 14 in Sochi, the cargo port located near the mouth of Mzymtma River was washed away. Residents of the Imereti Lowland report that the storm has demolished the piles and dropped building cranes. Water attacks the coastal road running along the sea from the mouth of the river to the main ice palace.

Two bombs were neutralized on the gas pipeline Mozdok-Tbilisi. As reported by the PR Group of the local FSB Department, currently the works are underway on liquidation of other explosives. Because of limited gas supplies, lessons were cancelled today in all Ingush schools.