News

Ella Pamfilova, head of Board at the President of the Russian Federation on promotion to development of civil society institutes and human rights, visited Ingushetia with the aim to study the situation in situ and meet and talk to activists of local public organizations.

Today in Makhachkala, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who arrived in Dagestan, held a meeting with the heads of the regions of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), territorial subdivisions of the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) and law-enforcement bodies. The President emphasized the need to reform the system of law enforcement bodies and formulated five primary goals to be attained by the country's leadership.

The office of the Ombudsman of Georgia has presented its 328-pages report on the situation with human rights, which covers the second half of 2009. The report notes that Georgian prisons have heavy custody conditions, while court verdicts are often partial.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of Federal Security Bureau (FSB) said, speaking at the meeting convoked by President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev that the organizers of the terror acts in Moscow and Kizlyar are known; however, their names are not revealed yet. According to the investigation, the two women-suicide-bombers arrived to Moscow by bus from the city of Kizlyar, Republic Dagestan; all the way they had their bombs already attacked to them.

The man who was assassinated in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on Wednesday, March 31, was, according to power agencies, the financier of local militants, who replaced the earlier liquidated Anzor Astemirov, leader of the Kabardino-Balkarian and Karachai underground.

As a result of the explosion triggered last night in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan two persons were lost, as reported by the press service of the republic's MIA.

On March 31, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG) Liudmila Alekseeva, 82, was attacked by an unknown young man when she was laying flowers in a lobby of the metro station. The attacker on the human rights defender was detained by the militia; and a criminal case was opened against him.

As reported by a source in power agencies of the NCFD (North-Caucasian Federal District), so far, one woman-suicide-bomber, who blew herself up at the Park Kultury metro station, has been identified - she was a resident of Dagestan; her name is not disclosed in the interests of the inquiry.

Visit of the PACE Rapporteur Dick Marti to regions of Northern Caucasus; election of Ombudsman in Ingushetia; liquidation of a militants' leader Anzor Astemirov in Kabardino-Balkaria, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of March 22-28 in the Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Georgia feels indignant at recent statements made by Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russia's Security Council that a "Georgian trace" may appear in terror acts at Moscow metro stations committed on March 29, where 39 persons were lost. Georgian politicians believe this statement to be groundless - they also sympathize with casualties' relatives and victims of the metro explosions and victims at explosions in the underground. Temur Yakobashvili, State Minister of Georgia for Reintegration, announced Tbilisi's readiness to cooperation with Russia in investigating the terror acts.

Armen Arutyunyan, the Ombudsman of Armenia, refused to speak at the forum of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) to open in Yerevan on April 6. Mr Arutyunyan said that he would take part in the forum as an invited guest and gave no other explanations. A number of Armenian human rights organizations also refused to take part in the event.

Law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic doubt that a native of the republic Kazbek Mataev, suspected as a potential accomplice of the women-suicide-bombers who committed terror acts in Moscow metro on March 29, could really be involved, as reported by a number of Russian mass media. According to Chechen power agents, Mataev has been living outside Russia for several years.

The Supreme Court has rejected the complaint lodged by the defence of the convicted residents of Ingushetia Salambek Dzakhkiev and Maksharip Khidriev on the case of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train in 2007, having upheld the earlier verdict of the Novgorod Regional Court.

On March 31, Azerbaijan marks Genocide Day in commemoration of the victims of events in 1918.

The Lenin District Court of Krasnodar has held today already the fourth preliminary hearing on the case of Anastasia Denisova, head of the public organization named "ETnIKa". The court has ruled to return the case to the prosecutor's office for elimination of inquiry mistakes.

Only due to operative actions of employees of the STSI (State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, known in Russia as "GIBDD") in Kizlyar, who blocked the terrorist-suicide-bomber's car, much greater damage of the explosion were avoided. This is the opinion of the Department for ensuring traffic safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia.

Dokku Umarov, leader of North-Caucasian militants, said in his video appeal placed on YouTube that the terror acts in Moscow metro committed by suicide-bombers on March 29 were the answer to the special operation of power agents in Ingushetia, where on February 11 along with members of the armed underground four peaceful residents of Chechnya were killed.

The so-called "Caucasian trace" is possible in the explosions in Moscow metro, believes Oleg Orlov, Chairman of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

Under the information available so far, the terror act committed by terrorists-suicide-bombers in Kizlyar killed 12 persons, more than 20 were hospitalized with various traumas; in total, 23 were injured, but this is non-confirmed data. Houses located near the place of explosion lost their windows; some of them are partially ruined. The FSB has stated that the suicide bomber's target in Kizlyar was the local Interior Division.

In Rostov-on-Don, activists of the opposition - United Civil Front, "Left-Wing Front" and "Solidarity" - plan to go out on March 31 to the central street of the city, Bolshaya Sadovaya, at the entrance to the Gorky Park, and hold an action similar to the one planned on that very day in Moscow in the Triumph Square - in defence of Article 31 of the Constitution - on the freedom of assembly.