News

For two days, on March 20-21, the Tbilisi-based hotel "Korti Yard Marriott" hosted a closed discussion of historical works presented by Caucasian scientists from Europe, Caucasus and Georgia. In the course of the scientific-practical conference "Concealed Nations, Crimes-in-Progress: Circassians and Peoples of Northern Caucasus between Past and Future", its delegates passed an appeal to the parliament of Georgia asking to recognize the genocide of the Adyg nation. In the course of the conference a resolution was also adopted concerning recognition of the actions of the Russian army in the 18th-19th centuries in the territory of today's Chechnya and Ingushetia to be a fact of genocide.

Isalmagomed Nabiev, a well-known publicist and chairman of the independent trade union of drivers and entrepreneurs of Dagestan, has written an open letter to President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov, in which he treats the adoption by former authorities in September 1999 of the Law "On Prohibition of Wahhabite and Other Extremist Activities" as a mistake.

Seeing no results of the official investigation into disappearance in St Petersburg of four natives of Ingushetia, relatives of the widow of human rights defender Maksharip Aushev, who was killed last October, the victims and their relatives held their own inquiry. The witnesses they found told them that disappearance of the above relatives was a kidnapping that looked like a professional violent detention executed by law enforcers.

Former militia major Alexei Dymovskiy, who had told in the Internet about malversations of high-ranking employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in Novorossisk, was found guilty of disseminating data discrediting honour and dignity of militia officials.

In the course of a special operation conducted in the Urus-Martan District of Chechnya, a supposed militant was killed. This was reported today to President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov by Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov.

Law enforcement bodies of Philippines have detained anew Georgiy Shavishvili, one of earlier released Georgian seamen. This was reported today by Levan Akhvlediani, president of the Georgian-Philippine business association.

The law enforcement bodies of Chechnya have identified three more members of the armed underground liquidated in the Vedeno District. Now, five out of six casualties are known. The search of IAF members in the district continues.

The complicated ecological situation because of the "Electrozink" factory, social support of veterans of local wars and retired military servicemen, departure of the population from the mountain part of the republic, life of forced migrants and broken ties with relatives living in Georgia - these are the main problems enumerated by residents of the capital of North Ossetia on March 21, when they met activists of the Project "Peace to the Caucasus", among which there were members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

In South Ossetia, activists of the opposition have postponed their rally, earlier appointed on March 20 and 21, till some uncertain future. This was reported by Grigory Dzasokhov, the organizer.

Power agencies of Chechnya have no data that Dokku Umarov, leader of the militants in Northern Caucasus, was assassinated, although in the end of last week some media spread information that Umarov could have been killed back on March 10.

Today, from late at night a section of the Irchi Kazak Street in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was introduced, was completely blocked by several ATCs (armoured troop-carriers) with unjacketed machine guns. Numerous law enforcers and FSB agents of Dagestan arrived to the area in KAMAZ trucks. According to the FSB, Emir of Grozny Salambek Akhmadov was liquidated, and one of law enforcers was wounded.

The young generation of Georgians practically cannot speak Russian; nevertheless, according to latest sociology polls, the number of Georgian residents who want better Russian-Georgian relations has radically increased. This was stated by ex-prime-minister of Georgia Zurab Nogaideli, now the leader of the oppositional movement "For Fair Georgia" in the course of the recent space TV bridge Moscow-Tbilisi, where the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was present.

The Supreme Court of Karelia has postponed announcement of the verdict to six defendants on the case about the mass fight in Kondopoga. Earlier the court planned to announce the verdict on March 15; however, it did not happen, and the new date is March 22.

On Saturday, March 20, under petition of inquiry bodies of the Krasnodar Territory, Sergey Motin, head of Operative-Search Bureau (OSB) No. 11 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia, was taken into custody on suspicion of large-scale contraband.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) holds a worldwide mass action "Earth Hour". This year, on March 27, the city-resort of Pyatigorsk, the capital of the NCFD (North-Caucasian Federal District), will join the action. Citizens of the cities-participants of the action will be invited to switch off all the illumination for one hour - from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Moscow time with the aim to contribute to the planet's healthy climate. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt about it at Information and Analytical Division of the Pyatigorsk City Duma.

On March 21 in Tbilisi, a conference named "Concealed Nations, Crimes-in-Progress: Circassians and Peoples of Northern Caucasus between Past and Future" passed a resolution and addressed the parliament of Georgia with a request to recognize the genocide committed in the 19th century by Russian Empire against Circassians.

Currently, Armenian Lake Sevan has about 200 tons of lake herring and 300 tons of trout. The works are on to clean the lake and preservation the fish stocks.

Residents of Chechnya assert that the tactics used by local power agencies in fighting supposed militants does not change and still comprises threats and pressure on relatives and putting their houses on fire. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" learnt about it from relatives of Magomed Khashuev, a medrese teacher from the city of Shali.

Elections of local governments in the south of Russia; a new scandal in Armenian-Turkish relations; Russia allocates new billions to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of March 15-21, 2010, in Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

On March 19-22, the working group of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for development of public dialogue and civil society institutes in the Caucasus is holding in North Ossetia a series of public debates within the Project "Peace to the Caucasus".