News

The start of proceedings of the case on dispersal of Anna Politkovskaya's memorial picket, which had been appointed for 4 p.m. yesterday, December 15, at the Nazran District Court of the Republic of Ingushetia, did not come about again. Magomed Mutsolgov, claimant's representative and chairman of the "Mashr" Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization (ANO), informed the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" about the fact.

Alexander Litvinenko was murdered because he possessed information on a certain powerful Kremlin figure, his former partner told the BBC in an interview.

A protest action named "March of objectors" has been launched in the Triumphal Square of Moscow by the opposition coalition "The Other Russia."

Senator Oleg Panteleev, member of the federal parliamentary commission on Beslan, has reported on Friday that the commission's report will be presented to parliament in the 20s of December this year.

Forced migrants from Chechnya and other regions of North Caucasus face much more problems in Russia than resettlers from CIS countries. Alla Yakunina, chair of the "Compatriots" Russian Foundation for helping refugees, told about it to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot."

On Thursday December 14, Wanner Christoph, journalist of the Deutsche Welle TV Company, was brought to militia of Grozny, capital of Chechnya.

In Rostov-on-Don, at the North-Caucasian Military Court, three witnesses on the prosecution part were interrogated on Friday on "Ulman's case."

Heidi Hautala, leader of the Green faction in parliament of Finland, told in her exclusive interview to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that she would join the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), which has its branches in Nizhniy Novgorod and Chechnya.

On December 13, representatives of the "Civil Assistance" NGO and Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship made a joint visit to the village of Staroschedrinskaya of the Shelkovskoj District of the Chechen Republic.

Alexander Belov, leader of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (MAII) was summoned to Petrozavodsk for interrogation.

About thirty children-residents of Staroschedrinskaya village of the Shelkovskoj District of Chechnya have been taken ill again with an unknown disease, officially treated as massive post-war mental disorder.

On December 13, Vakhid Mustafaev, president of the ANS TV Company, stated while talking to journalists that the Company people believed in a fair decision to be taken on the future of the ANS.

Anna Politkovskaya, observer of the "Novaya Gazeta," was posthumously awarded a special Diploma of the Jury of Andrei Sakharov's Prize "For the Life Sacrificed to Journalism."

Upon returning from London, two citizens of Lithuania underwent medical examination, which showed that they were "contaminated with polonium," Vigaudas Ushatskas, Ambassador of Lithuania to Great Britain.

The OSCE Baku office and the representative of this organization for the freedom of press have positively accepted the decision to resume broadcasting of the ANS TV Channel in Azerbaijan.

At 4:00 p.m. on December 15, the Nazran District Court of the Republic of Ingushetia (RI) will start considering an application lodged by the "Mashr" Association of Relatives of Missing People on illegal decision of the Mayor's Office of the city of Nazran, which had prohibited a picket in memory of Anna Politkovskaya on October 16 this year, and actions of the Interior Department of Nazran and Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia who violently dispersed the protest action.

The "Chaika" restaurant in the town of Kondopoga, which was burnt down in the course of mass disorders in September, will be rebuilt into a culture-leisure youth centre.

Rushana Guseinova, widow of Elmar Guseinov, assassinated journalist, received political asylum in Norway, and together with her son Aslan is already in the territory of this country.

In the course of court sessions on the case of Anton (Abdullah) Stepanenko, imam of Pyatigorsk mosque (Stavropol Territory), the defence evidences are now considered.

Timur Lakhonin, head of the Russian Interpol Bureau, has reported that this organization is now engaged in the inquiry into Litvinenko's case.