News

The "Chornye Yastreby" (Black Hawks) are "same criminals as the bandit underground", whatever principles they are guided by. This was stated today by Valery Ustov, head of the Investigatory Department (ID) of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Kabardino-Balkaria, at a press conference in Nalchik.

On March 9, unidentified armed persons in masks abducted Rustam Kurbanaliev, born in 1971, a resident of the village of Sultanyangiyurt, Kizilyurt District of Dagestan. Dagestani rights defenders were informed about it by his father Kurbanali Kurbanaliev.

During the week from February 28 to March 6, the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus took away at least nine lives; at least four persons were injured during this period. These are the count results of the "Caucasian Knot", based on its materials and information from other open sources.

The Committee of the UN Security Council on sanctions against Al-Qaeda, Taliban and persons and organizations associated therewith has put the North-Caucasian militants' leader Dokku Umarov on its consolidated list. It was reported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

They were detained today in the centre of the capital of Azerbaijan in the course of the youth anti-government action in response to the call of the social network Facebook "Great People's Day".

Merab Kolbaya, resident of Gali district of Abkhazia, is still being forcibly kept in the territory of Georgia. "Caucasian Knot" received this news from law enforcement bodies of Abkhazia.

Stolen money and valuables have been confiscated from the suspects of a murder of three persons in Mineralniye Vodi district of Stavropol region. According to the investigation's data, they are acquaintances of a murdered woman. They have already confessed the fact of committing the crime.

The reasons for cancellation by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Azerbaijan of registration of the Azerbaijani Human Rights House are sooner political than technical, believes Ane Tusvik Bonde, the regional manager for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus of the Norwegian Foundation "Human Rights House".

Refusals to grant residence permits by Norway to refugees from Northern Caucasus are politically motivated. This was stated by Usam Baisaev, a human rights defender and a member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

Today, an explosive device went off en route of a freight train in Dagestan, said the spokesman for the Republic's Interior Department for Transports. There are no casualties and victims.

Alexei Vorobyov, Chairman of the Government of Ingushetia, was dismissed on his own will because of going to some other job, the head of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov said today at a sitting in Magas, Ingushetia. Together with the Prime Minister, the entire government was sacked.

Today, the newspaper "Chernovik" hosted the last roundtable with participation of candidates for Deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan on the topic "Regional Policy and Dagestan". According to the participants, the measures to help in solving regional problems include changes of the tax system, update of draft laws on regional policy and development of legal framework for strategic planning.

According to preliminary data, the family of three persons from the farm yard Vozrozhdenie, Mineralovodskiy District of the Stavropol Territory, was assassinated by two unidentified criminals. This became known after questioning of the surviving child.

Today, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has annulled registration of the Azerbaijani Human Rights House (AHRH), which is a representative office of the Norwegian Human Rights Foundation.

Human rights defenders find head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov responsible for enforcing Islamic dress code for women in his republic. This was stated by rights defender Tatiana Lokshina at presentation of the report "Woman Should Know Her Place: Enforcement of Islamic Dress Code for Women in Chechnya".

Armenian human rights activists have already criticized certain provisions of the UN report on Armenia that was presented today in Geneva.

A documentary called "Barzakh" by Lithuanian producer Mantas Kvedaravichius about tortures and kidnapping in Chechnya will be demonstrated within the framework of international film festival Kino Pavasaris ("Spring of the Cinema") which will be held in Vilnius from March, 17, till March, 31.

The results of drug examination of blood samples taken a month ago from Jabbar Savalan, youth activist of People's Front of Azerbaijan party (PFAP), have been made public in Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday, March, 9, Evgeny Vitishko, Head of Tuapse branch of "Yabloko" party and member of the Council of "Ecologic Watch in Northern Caucasus" was released after serving 10 days of arrest.

During today's special operation in Kabardino-Balkaria three supposed participants of paramilitary groups were killed and two officers of law enforcement bodies wounded, a representative of Investigative Department of Prosecutor's committee of inquiry of the Russian Federation told a reporter of "Caucasian Knot".