News

Today in Almaty, Azerbaijan and Armenia again stated their mutual reproaches. Elmar Mamedyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said that he doubts of Armenia's aspiration to settle the Karabakh conflict. In its turn, Armenia accused Baku of pursuing destructive policy.

Today in Baku, adherents of the freedom of speech and activists of democratic public of Azerbaijan commemorated Elmar Guseinov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Monitor", who was killed on March 2, 2005; on July 17 he would have been 43.

Turkey has decided to temporarily open its border with Armenia for surface transportation of the military machinery to be used during NATO exercises in Armenia planned for September 11-17.

Today at night, Emik Chakmach-Ogly, head of the Gagra branch of the Spiritual Authority of Moslems of Abkhazia and a member of the republic's public chamber, was shot dead.

After long torrential rains in Kakhetia, in the east of Georgia, one more district - the Dedoplistskaro one - was flooded. The village of Tsiteltskaro suffered from flooded motorways and ground floors, and lost plenty of livestock and poultry. There are no casualties among the population.

Activists of the Rostov-based branch of the "Laft-Wing Front" are going to send their protest to the Constitutional Court against the Law "On Amending the Regional Law 'On Guarantees to Administration Head'". This was stated by activists on July 15.

A lieutenant colonel of one of power agencies, two children and two women were wounded by the explosion of a self-made bomb, which was triggered under a passenger car in Nart-Kala village.

Today Presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Sergey Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoity leave for their first official visit to Nicaragua and Venezuela, where they plan to sign interstate agreements in various areas.

In the evening on July 15, the first channel of the Belarusian state television showed an exclusive interview with President of Georgia, in which Mikhail Saakashvili answered the questions on modernization of Georgia, whether it is possible to reconcile Tbilisi and Moscow, when Georgia would join the European Union, about South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and even about his gastronomic preferences.

The investigation continues considering involvement of Alkhazur Bashaev, killed in November 2009, as the main version of the murder of Natalia Estemirova; and it is not clear whether the evidences of employees of the "Memorial" were taken into account, as Alexander Cherkasov, a member of the Board of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The authorities of Dubai have answered to the request of law enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation about the fate of Hero of Russia Sulim Yamadaev, ex-commander of the special battalion of the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff) "Vostok" (East).

On July 15, Armenia held a judicial session on the case of Vaan Khalafyan, 24, who died in the police station.

The blocking of the Federal Highway "Baku-Rostov" planned for July 15 in protest against detention in Azerbaijan of Usman Garisov, a resident of Dagestan, sued for drug contraband and use, did not take place because Rizvan Kurbanov, First Vice-Premier of Dagestan, invited local residents to a meeting.

The US authorities have granted political asylum to Murat Berzegov, founder and chairman of the Non-Commercial Organization (NCO) "Circassian Congress" (office in Maikop, the capital of Adygea), having found that in Russia he and his family were in danger.

On July 15 the government of Azerbaijan lodged an appeal to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against the decision on the case of journalist Einullah Fatullaev, who is serving his term in prison.

The three natives of Chechnya arrested in France are suspected of links with the person involved in terror acts in Moscow metro. As reported by western media, in the opinion of the French inspectors, the Chechens financed the terrorist arrested in Russia.

The White House honoured has marked the life and work of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", who was abducted and murdered one year ago, in the sphere of defence of human rights in Northern Caucasus, and reminded that the crime remains unsolved.

Situation in Ingushetia will stabilize, when Russian Constitution works properly in its territory. This is the opinion of Issa Kodzoev, one of the most famous Ingush writers, public figure and former Soviet dissident. Now, according to his version, none of the powers really operates in the republic.

The Amnesty International (AI) has launched a campaign in support of young bloggers Adnan Gadjizade and Emin Milli, convicted in Azerbaijan on forged charges, as human rights activists believe.

Lawyer Tukhuzhev from the Human Rights Centre "For Human Rights" finds the situation with defence of human rights in Kabardino-Balkaria to be catastrophic; according to his story, the Centre receives several complaints every month.