News

In 2008, 42 persons were kidnapped in Chechnya, of them 13 disappeared without any traces. These are the updated monitoring results of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", reported today by Dmitri Grushkin, a member of the Centre's Board, to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The Krasnodar Regional Department of "Rosprirodnadzor" (Russian Agency for Nature Supervision) has found the "Glavpromstroy" Company guilty of felling trees in the territory of the State Reserve "Bolshoi Utrish" near the city of Anapa and imposed administrative penalties for the total sum exceeding 2 million roubles. The Company refuses to agree with this decision.

Brothers Ruslan and Murad Uzhakhov, shot dead on January 24 in the centre of Nazran, were not militants and did not open any response fire; this can be evidenced by eyewitnesses. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Magomed Khazbiev, head of the Organizing Committee of the Ingush Nationwide Rally, and Maksharip Aushev, a member of the Committee.

Last weekend, two local residents were detained by employees of law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic as suspects of complicity in illegal armed formations.

Valery Dyakonov, a deputy of the municipal duma of the city of Zverevo, Rostov Region, has stated his readiness to join the miners-pensioners who are holding their hunger strike.

The authorities of Azerbaijan hold open repressions against the members of the "Movement for Republic and Karabakh" and other oppositional organizations, who advocate against amending the Constitution. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that this was the leitmotif of today's extraordinary session of the "Movement for Republic and Karabakh".

The Union of Armenian Public Organizations of Samtskhe-Dzhavakhk and Kvemo Kartli has expressed its support of the two Armenian activists - Grigor Minasyan and Sarkis Akopdzhanyan, - arrested in Georgia, and its readiness to provide advocates for defending the interests of the detainees.

Georgia has resumed the natural gas transit from Russia to South Ossetia which was stopped on the day of starting combat actions on August 8, 2008.

In the course of a special operation conducted in Nazran, Ingushetia, two suspected members of illegal armed units have been killed.

Solemn mourning events to mark the 90 years' anniversary of repressions against Cossacks have been held today in the capital of Karachai-Cherkesia.

An operation of rescuing people from snowdrifts has been carried out in Dagestan. 45 persons have been rescued.

Serzh Sargsian, president of Armenia, has pardoned 16 prisoners convicted for taking part in mass riots in Erevan on March 1, 2008.

Yunus-bek Evkurov, president of Ingushetia, has announced that a youth parliament is to be formed soon in Ingushetia.

Members of the Chechen parliament intend to request from the federal center that the monetary compensation to the republic's residents who are victims of political repressions should be considerably increased.

The world economic crisis has affected the labor market in Azerbaijan and resulted in the dismissal of more than 2 thousand people. This has been announced by Fizuli Alekperov, Azeri minister of labor and social protection.

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.