News

Over 100 activists of the civil society of Azerbaijan have rallied together today at midday for holding an action near the parliament against the would-be amendments to the Law "On Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)"; however, they were stopped by the police some 300 meters off the building of the National Assembly. Nobody was detained.

Attempts on religious leaders in Ingushetia are committed because they are not afraid to answer any question. This was stated by Ahmed Sultygov, chairman of the PR division of the Administration of Ingushetia, when he spoke about the murder of preacher Abdurakhman Kartoev, 85.

In Stavropol Territory, the investigation is over of the criminal case against the head of the criminal search division of Novoselitskiy ROVD (District Interior Unit) and his subordinate, for whose guilt teenager Dmitri Medkov had been illegally brought to criminal liability for the murder of his sister that he never committed.

Today, the extraordinary session of the National Assembly has adopted with 98 votes for, at three refrained and one vote against, the bill on amnesty submitted by Minister of Justice Gevork Danielyan.

Today, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, at the session on the criminal case on the events on October 13, 2005, held under chair of Galina Gorislavskaya, discussed the issue of another three-month extension of defendants' custody term, which expires on June 27.

The Human Rights Centre "Memorial" has expressed its anxiety of the fate of Maskhud Abdullaev, who was deported today from Egypt to Russia for violating the migratory legislation of the former country.

In Baku, near the shopping centre "Teze Basar" (New Marketplace), a suicide attempt of a group of 30 persons was prevented. They were brought to police station No. 21 of the Nasimin District and later released.

The mission of American observers in the OSCE have fixed in their report essential violations admitted on May 31 in the capital of Armenia. In particular, observers report falsification of votes in the course of vote tabulation and violence against candidates' election agents.

On June 17, the Nasimin District Court of Baku, presided by Judge Ikram Shirinov, put a full stop in the trial on the claim lodged by Emin Guseinov, Director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) against the police of Azerbaijan. The Judge found no grounds to satisfy the claim.

Today in the morning, near to buildings of State Chancellery and Department for Constitutional Safety of Georgia's MIA, several oppositionists, who spent the night in iron cells (cages) symbolizing transformation of Georgia into police state, were beaten. The opposition believes that the MIA was involved in this incident.

The fate of 12 defendants, accused of the attack on Ingushetia in June 2004, will be decided by a board of three professional judges. This decision was made by the Republic's Supreme Court at the session on the case which held on June 17 in the city of Magas.

Despite refusal of the Mayoralty of Baku to sanction a picket of the "Committee in Defence of Civil Society" (CDCS) on June 19 in front of Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, this coalition will still hold a protest action against restrictive amendments proposed to the law on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Today, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan has held a trial on the claim lodged by "Rossvyazkonnadzor" (Russian federal agency for supervising communications) for Dagestan demanding to stop the newspaper named "Chernovik" (Blueprint). The employees of "Rossvyazkonnadzor" have stated, when asked by the court to present proofs in support of their claims, that they were not ready and asked to postpone the trial. More than 240 supporters of journalists have gathered at the court building.

Ruslan Khalidov, who returned from Norway to Chechnya and publicly renounced his earlier accusations against President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov of preparing murders of Chechens abroad, could be the organizer of Chechnya natives on the camp of Kurdish refugees in Norway in July 2008. Norwegian advocate Brun Risnes told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.

Today, at the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, at the session on the criminal case on events on October 13, 2005, Ahmat Ulbashev, district militiaman of Khasanya village, has presented his evidence and spoke positively about the defendants whom he personally knows.

Today, four out of the group of Russian students detained in Egypt were brought to Moscow, as reported by advocate Murad Musaev. According to his story, three have already passed the customs control, in the near time the fourth one is expected. Maskhud Abdullaev, son of the leader of one of Chechen armed groupings, was late for the flight and will leave for Moscow tomorrow, on June 19.

Ruslan Khalidov has come back from Norway to Chechnya; earlier he accused President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov of organizing murders of his political opponents. In particular, Khalidov asserted that Kadyrov had personally instructed him to liquidate Magomed Ocherkhadzhi, leader of the Chechen Diaspora in Norway. Now Khalidov has returned to Chechnya and publicly refuted all his former statements.

The mass fight that burst out in Lenin Square of Maikop, the capital of Adygea, at night of June 10, was initiated by a well-known sportsman, champion of Russia in hand-to-hand fighting. Later, among instigators was an international master of sports in boxing. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by one of the victims, who preferred to name him for safety reasons. According to his story, there was no direct reason for the fight. The attackers did not like the nationality of someone from his group.

The court of Novorossisk (Krasnodar Territory) is considering the claim lodged by the Independent Non-Commercial Organization "Novorossisk Committee on Human Rights", which challenges the decisions of the prosecutor's office, which had accused the NCO of extremism. Vadim Karastelyov, an expert of this organization, complains of pressure, exerted by the prosecutor's office on him and his wife Tamara Karastelyova with the aim to force them to stop their actions demanding cancellation of the "curfew" for children.

On Tuesday, June 16, the Promyshlenny District Court of the city of Stavropol sentenced a local resident named Tamara Konova, a local resident, who tried to sell a newborn child for 100,000 roubles.