News

Baku has hosted the Second Forum "On Situation with Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Azerbaijan". It was initiated by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) of Azerbaijan and dated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights activists assert that violations of human rights in the country are still of mass character.

Nino Burdzhanadze, ex-speaker of Georgian parliament calls for early presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia to be held in spring of 2009.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has re-confirmed the legality of arms deliveries to Georgia, treating the opposing statements as slander.

Ingushetia has commemorated FSB Lieutenant Colonel Alikhan Kalimatov, who perished while performing his duties. In his memory, School No. 4 in Ordzhonikidzevskaya village, Sunzha District of the republic, where he was a pupil, has installed a memorial board.

The Belarusian parliament can consider the issue of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2009. Sergey Maskevich, head of the parliamentary commission for international matters and relations with the CIS, has expressed this opinion today.

The international human rights organization "Reporters without Borders" has expressed its regret that Ganimat Zakhidov, editor of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom) published in Azerbaijan, and his brother satirist Sakit Zakhidov (Mirza Sakit) were returned behind the bars despite numerous appeals of their relatives, friends and human rights activists with demands to pardon them.

The kidnapping of Ilaev brothers in Pervomaiskoe village was preceded by a skirmish between power agents with two supposed militants, some of the villagers assert.

At the trial on Anna Politkovskaya's murder, the General Prosecutor's Office has passed over to presenting evidences on the episode, not related to the murder of the journalist.

Today, on December 10, activist of the opposition Vardan Malkhasyan, a veteran of the Karabakh War, has been released after his two years of imprisonment at the criminal corrective establishment "Vardashen". Mr Malkhasyan, one of the leaders of the organization "Rallying of Armenian Volunteers", was arrested in December 2006 and found guilty under Article 301 of the Criminal code of Armenia - "Appeals to violent overthrow of power".

The Nazran Court in Ingushetia today has again refused to consider the petition lodged by the family of Magomed Evloev, perished owner of the website "Ingushetia.Ru", demanding to re-qualify the case of the oppositionist's murder to the article of the Criminal Code, which provides punishment for a murder.

The Internet Forum of Azerbaijan (IFA) has made a statement in the context of the intention of the National Television and Radio Board (NTRB) to stop broadcasting in local frequencies of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America and BBC.

In the Krasnodar Territory, ecologists plan to object to the plans, according to which the "Bolshoi Utrish" Wildlife Reserve near the city of Anapa should be cut apart by a road; and its most distant parts will become accessible for motor vehicles.

Today, at the process on the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia has demonstrated to jurymen two driver's licenses to different names which, under the version of the accusation, were used by accused Rustam Makhmudov, now announced into search.

Today, at the trial on the events on October 13, 2005, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has announced its decision on the challenges of the candidates for the jury. Out of 46 candidates for the jurymen, who came to the third selection round, only one was chosen.

The special investigatory group, engaged in investigating the events of March 1 in Yerevan, referred in its work to Criminal Case No. 62202708, the excitation and closing of which cannot be found in any documented evidence. This was stated today at a press conference by Avetis Avagyan, spokesman of the Central Office of the Armenian National Congress.

The Department of Internal Affairs of Volgograd is purposefully liquidating the independent civil society, believes Irina Malovichko, president of the Volgograd Regional Charitable Public Organization (VRCPO) "Child's Dignity UNESCO Club" (CDUC), against whom a criminal case was initiated.

Today, the Assembly of Tbilisi Armenians has held an action "Justice on the Way" near the Ministry of Culture, Monument Protection and Sports of Georgia with a demand to get back the Armenian churches, which had been taken away by communists at the Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia.

Advocate and human rights activist Musa Pliev, newly-appointed adviser to the new President of Ingushetia Yunusbek Evkurov, plans to start a hotline telephone for people to complain against power agents' actions.

Amnesty International is calling for a full investigation of the raid by Russian law enforcement officers on the office of an independent Research and Information centre Memorial in St Petersburg, amid concerns that serious violations of Russian law were committed during the process.

Statement by Sean Mccormack, Spokesman, U.S. Department of State.