News

One of these days, they plan to extend the authorities of the temporary parliamentary commission in charge of investigating the tragic consequences of disorders in Yerevan on last March 1-2. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Armen Arutyunyan, Ombudsman of Armenia and a member of the commission.

Today, a law was passed in Armenia, according to which the judge has now the right to remove defendants out of the courtroom for exhibiting disrespect of the court. Should any advocates refuse to take part in the trial, the judge has powers to appoint new advocates. The law has come into force after ratification by President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan (Sarkisyan).

One of the casualties of the explosion in Nazran (Ingushetia) - Khasan Mutaliev, declared by power agents to be terrorist, in 2007 addressed human rights activist for help in searching his brother and defending his rights.

The members of Gatagazhev family, who live in Sagopshi village, Malgobek District of Ingushetia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that employees of the Department of FSB (DFSB) for Ingushetia, who searched their house, had first planted an explosive and then declared it detected.

The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is ready to provide space for Azerbaijani broadcasters in the Azerbaijani and English languages over the States in exchange of renewal of broadcasting of foreign radio stations over Azerbaijan. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that this statement was made on February 11 by Ann Dears, US Ambassador in Baku.

The trial of Armenian oppositionists, known as the "Case of Seven", is postponed till February 26. The judge motivated his decision by the fact that after the start of the session the defendants refused to take their seats.

The data about the course of the special operation conducted in Ingushetia, as presented by various sources, are highly different. The count of casualties and details are unknown. According to the latest information, four militiamen were lost.

The process of identification is underway in Kabardino-Balkaria, where on February 11 in the vicinity of Nalchik seven persons were killed.

In mid-March, the members of the Public Chamber and human rights activists plan to arrive to Dagestan and consider in situ the situation in the Republic with kidnappings. The delegation will be headed by Nikolai Svanidze, chairman of the commission for interethnic relations and freedom of conscience.

Dmitri Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, has signed a decree on awarding former head of the GTRK "Dagestan" Gadzhi Abashilov, assassinated in March 2008, with the Order of Courage.

At a press conference in Moscow on February 10, human rights activists reported that natives from Chechnya, who had been tortured with the aim to knock out evidences and then sentenced to long imprisonment terms, are still tortured in prisons out of hatred.

Today, at about 8 a.m. in Baku, General-Lieutenant Rail Rzaev, Commander of the Air Forces and Air Defence Troops of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan was killed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia asserts that Russian troops have entered the Georgian village of Kvemo-Nikozi in the border with South Ossetia.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed an order to establish in 2009 Russian embassies in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The order defined the order of funding the new diplomatic missions, as the press service of Russian government reports.

The company named "Sumgaiytelectricshebeke" promises to stop, on February 16 at 3:00 p.m. Baku time, its electricity supply to the pump stations of the Joint-Stock Company "Azersu", which is delivering drinking and technical water to Baku, Sumgait and other regions of Azerbaijan.

Today at 2:00 p.m. in Kabardino-Balkaria, not far from Gerpegezh village, in the vicinity of Nalchik, a fight burst out between law enforcers and, presumably, militants, as a result of which seven persons were killed. One militiaman was wounded.

A source in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya has reported that on February 10, in the woody district in Chechen mountains, in the border between the villages of Selmentauzen and Sharo-Argun, a burial with bodies of two militaries was detected.

The spokesman of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office for North Ossetia has reported that one of the suspects of murdering Mayor of Vladikavkaz Vitaly Karaev was, at the moment of murder, an employee of the Department for Fighting Organized Crime (the so-called "UBOP").

On February 10, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan passed, in its third final reading, the Law "On Counteracting Legalization of Funds and Property Obtained in Criminal Way and Funding Terrorism". Adoption of this law was among Azerbaijani obligations before the Council of Europe.

In the Rostov Region, in the Russian-Ukrainian border, a car was detained in which two citizens of Ukraine tried to carry four million US dollars as contraband.