News

The militiamen who were guarding the Nazran sports complex were shelled by a man from his pistol; he was shot dead by response fire.

On May 30, 16 parties and three electoral blocks will take part in elections of local government bodies. Nine of them have nominated their candidates for the post of Tbilisi Mayor, as the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was reported at the press service of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

General-Lieutenant Alik Sarkisyan, head of the police of Armenia, begged citizens' pardon for his earlier statement that the police had not applied violence to Vaan Khalafyan, who was summoned for interrogation.

According to the latest data reported by a source in power agencies of Kabardino-Balkaria, the count of injured persons at today's explosion at the hippodrome in Nalchik makes 21 persons.

According to Shota Utiashvili, head of the analytical department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, a special joint commission will be set up for searching missing citizens of South Ossetia.

On April 29, Jean Radvani, head of the Moscow-based French-Russian Centre of Social and Humanitarian Sciences, presented the book "Geopolitical Atlas of the Caucasus". The presentation of the new edition took place at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences during the seminar on ethnography of the Caucasus.

The republic has launched a check of the work of Imams of mosques and Kadis (Islamic judges) for the conformity to the posts and knowledge of theological sciences. For example, by the results of such check, the Spiritual Department of Moslems (SDM) has dismissed Mukhaid Tsakaev, Imam of the mosque located in Ulyanovskoe village of the Naur District.

On April 30, another attack was undertaken on Ibragim Yaganov, Chairman of the Public Movement (PM) "Khasse".

Today, preliminary investigation has been completed in Krasnodar Krai on the case of beating of Vadim Karastelev, head of Novorossijsk Committee on Human Rights, who represents the interests of former militia major Alexei Dymovski.

About a hundred young people were detained today in Baku for an attempt to hold an action of commemoration of the victims of the April 30, 2009 mass massacre in the Azeri State Oil Academy (ASOA). Late at night most detainees were released. But 10 persons were sent to Nasimin district court for taking them to administrative punishment.

Umakhan Udamanov, resident of the village of Sultanianghiurt, Kizikurt district, Dagestan, whose son Shamil Udamanov is considered missing since 2007, has stated to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he intends to apply for help to the presidents of Russia and Dagestan, Dmitry Medvedev and Magomedsalam Magomedov.

Today, the jury has adopted an indictment against a group of Astrakhan militiamen headed by Rinat Salekhov, chief of Astrakhan oblast internal affairs department on combating organized crime, the members of which are accused of murders, gansterism, money laundering and falsification of evidence.

The system of control and strict rules established in the Chechen State University (CSU) cause dissatisfaction among students. The attempt of students to express their protest against the university procedures has resulted in a threat of their expulsion from the university.

The Chechen resident who disappeared 15 years ago has been found in Ingushetia. Murad Soltamuradov disappeared in 1995 when he was six-years-old. In early 90's, his relatives resided in the town of Argun, while Murad was brought up at Grozno boarding school. The missing person was found thanks to the surviving archives of the registry offices and the efforts of Argun internal affairs department officers.

Today, a number leading opposition organizations and NGOs of Georgia blocked the traffic along part of Rustaveli avenue for half-an-hour and then traffic on the adjoining Freedom Square in Tbilisi for an hour. In this way, the opposition demanded the release of all political prisoners.

A resident of the town of Karabulak, Ingushetia, claims kidnapping of Zelimkhan Chighitov, her 20-year-old son. According to Zukhra Chighitova, Zelimkhan was kidnapped by law enforcement officers on April 27.

Pressure on Peter Vins, founder of the Sakharov Foundation Prize "For Journalism as a Deed" continues - at the moment, his business is captured in Russia, states Boris Timoshenko, secretary of the Prize, head of the monitoring service of the Foundation for Protecting Glasnost.

Mukhtar and Magomedrasul Magomedaliyevs, residents of the village of Novy Kostek, Khasaviurt district in Dagestan, kidnapped on April 29, have returned home, reports their father Bagavdin Magomedaliyev. The whereabouts of the third kidnapped son of Magomedaliyev remains unknown.

The investigation of a criminal case has been completed in Astrakhan against Alexander Larin, director of the private company "Lastra", his son Kirill Larin and driver Khagani Akhundov, who are accused of using slave labor of 16 residents of Uzbekistan.

Representatives of the management of colony No 12 in Azerbaijan who acted as witnesses during the trial of previously convicted journalist Einulla Fatullayev, accused of keeping drugs, made statements which, according to the defense lawyers, fully proves the innocence of the defendant.