News

The toughest storm during the last 10 years in western Georgia brought down hundreds of trees, damaged the roofs of hundreds of houses and buildings and broke power transmission lines. More than 200,000 residents were left without illumination. According to preliminary information, two fishermen are missing in the town of Poti.

The II international Russian championship in 71 km marathon swimming race in ice-cold water is to open today in Volgograd. It will last for two days. It is expected that more than 100 best marathon swimmers from Russia, CIS and other foreign countries will take part in it.

Stanislav Markelov accepted politically motivated cases which other lawyers refused to undertake because they were afraid to be knocked out of the system. This was stated today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent during the funeral of Markelov at Moscow Ostankino cemetery by Olga Trusevich, member of "Memorial" human rights center.

On January 22, the European Court on Human Rights considered three more complaints of Chechen residents which relate to the disappearance of five young people and execution of one man during the period from October 2002 to April 2004.

The complaint about torture and beatings of Ibraghim and Dzhabrail Makhmudovs, defendants accused of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, was considered by investigating officer Petros Garibian who was investigating the case itself. Garibian found no facts of violence or humiliation with regard to Makhmudovs.

Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the party " Yabloko", claims that not all persons guilty of murdering Farid Babaev, leader of Dagestan " Yabloko", have been brought to justice. However, it is difficult to appeal against the court ruling because the key witness for the prosecution was threatened in the court room.

Today, the Nasimin district court of Baku, chaired by Shakhin Abdyllaev, started a preliminary hearing on the suit by Ramil Usubov, head of Azeri MoI, against Leila Yunus, director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy.

The scale of corruption in the Chechen Republic is so serious that it will require drastic measures and serious efforts from the authorities, states Aslambek Apaev, expert of Moscow Helsinki Group on North Caucasus. Some local residents agree with him.

On Wednesday, the Moscow Regional Military Court rejected the petition of the defendants in the case - brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov - to take them out to the scene of the crime.

The interrogation of the defendants in Anna Politkovskaya's murder case - Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov - is over. Both brothers refuse to admit their guilt and cannot recollect what they were doing on the murder day. Advocate Murad Musaev tried to prove insufficiency of one of important evidences of the guilt of his clients - the detailed printout of Makhmudovs' telephone conversations on the day of murder. Mr Musaev told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On January 22, Gyulnara Rustamova, an active member of the human rights NGO "Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights", informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that she had lodged a complaint to the Kizil-Yurt Court against illegal actions of local guards of public order towards her sister Dinara Butdaeva, who was detained, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, on January 11 by militiamen from the Kizil-Yurt OVD (Interior Department).

An unauthorized march of anarchists in Novosibirsk in memory of advocate Stanislav Markelov and journalists Anastasiya Baburova assassinated in Moscow ended in a fight.

Today Ibram Garunov, Judge of the Supreme Court of Dagestan, has announced his verdict to Rasil Mamedrizaev, a resident of Miskindzha village, Dokuzparin District of Dagestan, suspected of murdering Farid Babaev. The court has supported the prosecution and appointed a punishment in the form of 16 years of tight security colony.

A driver who happened to be an eyewitness of the collision of an armoured troop-carrier (ATC) with two VAZ passenger cars in Ingushetia told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by telephone that a slippery road and inaccurate ATC's driving were the causes of the accident.

Today in Baku, the police have detained a group of activists from the youth organization of the oppositional "Musavat" Party, who tried to hold an unauthorized protest action in front of the office of the National Television and Radio Board (NTRB) of Azerbaijan. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the action was held in protest against suspension from January 1, 2009, of broadcasting in local frequencies of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America and BBC.

In Dagestan, the public prosecutor demanded 16 years of imprisonment in a tight security colony for Rasil Mamedrizaev, who was found guilty yesterday, on January 20, by jurymen of murdering Farid Babaev, leader of the Dagestan branch of the "Yabloko" Party.

The action in memory of assassinated advocate Markelov and journalist Baburova held yesterday, on January 20, in the capital of Chechnya moved a proposal to rename streets in their honour.

On January 20, late at night, Novruzali Mamedov, 70, head of the Talysh Cultural Centre in Azerbaijan and editor-in-chief of the "Talyshi Sado" newspaper, was released from dungeon ahead of term. He is serving his 10 years of imprisonment for state treason.

On January 20, the car model VAZ-2107, which was hijacked by unknown criminals who executed father and son Terkhoev on January 19, in Sunzha District of Ingushetia, was found in the southwest of Chechnya.

Anastasiya Baburova, an off-the-staff employee of the "Novaya Gazeta", who was wounded on January 19 in the centre of Moscow, during Markelov's murder and later died in hospital, published a week ago an article about former colonel Yuri Budanov in the edition named "Personal Correspondent".