News

As a result of the earthquake on October 11 in the territory of the Chechen Republic several thousands of buildings and private households suffered. The statistics of the damage caused by the calamity is updated as additional information arrives from the regions.

Residents of Sochi plan to hold a rally "In defence of Sochi dwellers who fell victims of lawlessness, arbitrariness and corruption of city bureaucrats". The action will take place on October 25, on the All-Russian Day of People's Anger - a number of Russian regions plan to hold actions of social protest on this day.

In the evening on October 13, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia has disseminated its official statement that on the previous day the country's air space was twice broken by Russian military aircrafts.

Journalists of "Elistinskaya Panorama" are still not admitted to the Parliament of Kalmykia - National Hural, referring to the absence of the necessary accreditation.

On Sunday, October 12, advocate Isakhan Ashurov visited his client, Einullah Fatullaev, former editor-in-chief of the "Real Azerbaijan" newspaper, who is serving his term in colonies No. 12 situated in Gyuzdek village. The visit was caused by the fact that on October 10 Mr Fatullaev was placed into a punishment cell (dungeon).

Bamatgirey Mankiev, former deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Ingushetia of the previous convocation, who now heads the "alternative" Ingush parliament, has stated that the new structure will raise the problems of kidnappings committed by members of power structures.

Public organizations of Georgia and Russia and international human rights bodies urge the parties of the Geneva summit to be held on October 15, 2008, on the conflict in South Caucasus to make human rights a priority within international efforts aimed at settling the conflict.

Today, Kabardino-Balkaria marks the third anniversary of tragic events on October 13, 2005, when armed people made an attack on Nalchik. Parents of the casualties want to know where their sons were buried.

In Chechnya, early elections of deputies of national parliament of the second convocation are over. In the opinion of independent observers, the results of the "nation's will show" are no surprise.

On October 11, a wave of an earthquake rolled over a number of regions in North and South Caucasus. The underground shocks were felt in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, South and North Ossetia and in the Stavropol krai, as well as in Armenia and Georgia. The epicenter was in Chechnya, its magnitude was 8 points. The biggest damage was inflicted on Chechnya.

The underground quakes which have occurred in waves today across North Caucasus killed 12 persons in Chechnya. These are the data from the republic's Ministry of Health. No casualties are reported from the other regions.

The Afghanistan war veterans who entered their sixth day of hunger strike in the Dagestan capital do not intend to drop their demands, despite the death of one of the participants and hospitalization of another one.

The key issue in settling the Karabakh conflict is the status of Nagorny Karabakh, which must be resolved by a free declaration of will of the Karabakh people, states Eduard Nalbandian, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Today, the forum of opposition parties has called on Azeri voters to ignore the October 15 presidential election. The opposition already considers the election undemocratic.

On October 10 around midnight, unknown persons exploded the shop "Baltika" selling alcoholic beverage in the village of Ordzhonikidze, Sunzhensk district, Ingushetia. No one suffered.

Ramzan Kadyrov, president of Chechnya, has called on the republic's population to be active in the course of October 12 election of the parliament of second convocation and expressed his confidence that the election will be held "on a high level".

By October 9, the European Court for Human Rights has received 2,729 applications of South Ossetia residents against Georgia.

The journalists of the Dagestan weekly magazine named "Nastoyaschee Vremya" (Present Time) have appealed against the decision of the Judicial Board on Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of Dagestan on cancelling the criminal case against Rizvan Rizvanov, Director General of the enterprise-founder.

Today, the head of the press-service of Dagestanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has refuted the statements that the bodies of the terrorists, who had been liquidated during special operations, and not subject to issuance for burial, are sold by militiamen to relatives.

Today, the Moscow Independent Press Centre held a press conference - presentation of the report prepared by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and entitled: "Kabardino-Balkaria: On the Way to Catastrophe. Preconditions Armed Revolt in Nalchik on October 13-14, 2005". The report is based on 3 years of field work in Kabardino-Balkaria, interviews with local residents, power agencies and representatives of the authorities.