News

The situation in Azerbaijan with the freedom of the press continues to worsen; the country sees the practice of persecuting journalists by law enforcement bodies on fabricated criminal charges. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from Strasbourg that it was stated on January 27 by Miklos Harasti, special representative of the OSCE for the freedom of mass media at a press conference in the headquarters of the Council of Europe (СЕ).

In Georgia, the son of the former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia - Tsotne, who is already in custody accused of a murder attempt, saw new charges of espionage in favour of Russia and participation in an anti-governmental plot.

As reported by Adam Malsagov, acting Minister of Economy of Ingushetia, about 400 Ingush families want to move for employment to the Sverdlovsk Region.

Operative agents came to search apartments of Alexei Dymovskiy's common law wife and his stepbrother.

If Chechnya copes with turning into a mounting skiing resort, as President Ramzan Kadyrov dreams, then, in the opinion of western experts, "it will be one of the most radical breakthroughs in global tourism."

On January 27, Yuri Trutnev, head of the Russian Ministry for Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources (known as "MinPrirody"), reported to his Premier Vladimir Putin that all the ecological issues, which had been raised in connection with construction of future objects of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, were settled.

The number of migrant present in the territory of Chechnya grew last year by three thousand persons and now makes 8682 persons. The data was presented by the Department for Chechnya of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) of Russia. Most of the migrants originate from CIS countries.

In Georgia, another monument to the casualties of World War II was dismantled. This was reported by the oppositional party "Movement for Fair Georgia" headed by ex-prime minister Zurab Nogaideli.

Today, a group of the non-parliamentary opposition of Georgia held a march in the Isani-Samgor District of Tbilisi with a demand to release the country's political prisoners.

Today, the members of the Council of Federation have actually started the reform of the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR), having ratified the 14th Protocol to the European Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), which deals with the Strasbourg Court.

The Russian ICPO has dismissed charges from Magomed Edilsultanov, a defendant in the case on the murders of the editor-in-chief of the Russian Forbes Paul Khlebnikov and former vice-premier of Chechnya Yan Sergunin.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has stated that the murder of Natalia Estemirova, a human rights defender and employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", committed in Chechnya in July 2009, was provoked by Boris Berezovsky with the aim to compromise the republic's authorities.

By the preliminary data, over 30,000 persons in Makhachkala and other districts of Dagestan are cut off from electricity and heat supplies. The authorities assure that they do everything possible and call not to panic.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is seriously concerned that under the aegis of 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics rights of Russian citizens are broken. This was stated by Brita Worner, an official representative of the IOC, in her telephone conversation with lawyer Evgeniy Arkhipov, chairman of the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights, which is defending the residents of Matveevka village, situated near Moscow.

According to Nurdi Nukhazhiev, Ombudsman in Chechnya, there are no grounds to accuse any republic's power agency of kidnapping Islam Umarpashaev, a resident of Chechnya. The head of the press service of the MIA on the Chechen Republic refused to communicate with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on the kidnapping issue.

The Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation denies the information spread today by certain media that the inquiry has identified the suspect of murdering Orthodox priest Daniel Sysoev; however, the criminal hides abroad.

Today, the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation has notified the victims in the murder case of Hero of Russia, ex-deputy Ruslan Yamadaev that they can start familiarizing themselves with the materials of the case.

The President's decree is expected by February 1 on replacing the current President of the Republic Dagestan Mukhu Aliev, 70, by Magomed Abdulaev, 48. This was stated by a source from Russian President's retinue.

Political figures and experts of Dagestan diverge in their opinions on establishment of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and appointment of Alexander Khloponin to the post of President's plenipotentiary in the new district. Recent statements of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin as to development prospects of the region are also perceived differently.

The Yasamal District Court of Azerbaijan has postponed the litigation earlier appointed for January 25 on the suit of Ramil Usubov, Interior Minister, lodged under procedure of a special charge against Eyub Kerimov, editor-in-chief of the "Femida-007" newspaper.