News

The broad-scale special operation against members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), launched by power agents on May 16 in villages of the pre-border Sunzha District of Ingushetia and then extended to the whole territory of the republic, continues. Residents assert that no rights of civilians are broken in the course of actions.

Beslan Chagiev, the terrorist-suicide-bomber who blew himself up on May 15 near the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Chechen Republic in Grozny, some time ago was a well-known wrestler. The reasons on Chagiev's suicide are still unclear.

Mosque "Ilakhiyat", located in the Yasamal District of Baku, which was closed on May 20 for visitors, has reopened for visitors. However, the access for believers will be restricted. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that today the traditional Friday namaz took place there, attended by more than one thousand persons.

Movladi Atlangeriev who was kidnapped in Moscow more than a year ago paid by this for his friendship with the Yamadaevs and for his intractability with the present authorities of Chechnya. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" by a member of Yamadaev's clan in his interview.

On May 20, in the course of special operations conducted in Chechnya against members of armed formations employees of law enforcement bodies detained three suspected militants' helpers. Four helpers and one former militant were detained on the previous day, on May 19, as asserted by law enforcement bodies of the republic.

The health condition of two militaries Koba Otanadze and Levan Amiridze, suspected of organizing a mutiny, wounded today during a special operation, is currently stable; they are in hospital, as reported by an advocate of one of the officers.

On May 20, the oppositional newspaper named "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" (Fourth Power) reported with reference to its sources that President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who was in Nagorno-Karabakh at celebration of the Victory Day, said during one of his meetings in a narrow audience that in the near future he would announce amnesty for the imprisoned oppositional activists.

Seifudin Kaziahmedov who was killed today in Makhachkala was once the head of the investigatory group in charge of the criminal case about the terror act committed in Kaspiisk on May 9, 2002. In the end of 2008, he was appointed deputy head of the Investigatory Department for Dagestan of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of Russia.

In Stavropol, two students were knifed to death. The militia puts forward a number of versions of the incident, saying that it could be a domestic crime or motivated by interethnic relations.

Today in the morning, members of the People's Party of South Ossetia, headed by Roland Kelekhsaev, held a picket "against antidemocratic policy of South-Ossetian authorities" near the building of State Duma in Moscow.

Activists of the opposition and their supporters have started their march from the city of Batumi (Adzharia, Georgia) towards Tbilisi, the capitals of Georgia. They plan to make their first stop for the night in Kutaisi.

In the course of special operations held in some regions of Dagestan it was found out that about 600 children failed to go to school; law enforcers took measures, and now practically all children attend their educational establishments, as reported by Mark Tolchinsky, head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan.

Valery Dyakonov, a deputy of the city duma of Zverevo, Rostov Region, informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that miners-pensioners of his city who fight for preservation of their heating privileges have resumed their hunger strike and picket in the city centre.

Last Sunday, on May 17, at the musical festival in Tbilisi "Open Air - Alter/Vision", held in parallel with "Eurovision-2009", the police was beating young guys from among the festival audience, and several dozens suffered. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Soso Panuashvili, representative of the Human Rights in Tbilisi.

The international organization in support of the freedom of expression named "Article 19" has made a statement condemning violence applied against journalists in the countries of Southern Caucasus. The section on Azerbaijan notes that recently acts of violence against journalists have become more frequent.

Today at night, Giya Maisashvili, one of the leaders of the united opposition, was severely beaten. His colleagues from the "Party for the Future" are confident that the attack is backed up by the authorities of the country.

Chechen authorities have paid a visit to Finland with the aim to study the European experience of organizing local self-management. When they were visiting the municipality of Helsinki, Chechen refugees held a protest action in the adjacent street.

The City Court of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, has passed a verdict of guilty to the Dugulubgov family - mother and her two daughters - for covering militant Sufyan Zhemukhov.

On May 20, at 4:30 a.m., four persons were kidnapped from the house at No. 7 Zvyozdnaya Street, Zavodskoy District of the city of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. This is the topic of the application lodged by Eki Paraulidze, a woman-resident of Chechnya, to the ROVD of the Zavodskoy District.

On April 20, Mosque "Ilakhiyat" in the Yasamal District of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, was closed for visitors.