News

Today, the editorial board of the "Caucasian Knot" received information from the Committee "Civil Assistance" about the events in the Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya.

Valentina Melnikova, Executive Secretary of the Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia (UCSMR) stated that the authorities are planning to stop the public organization "Soldiers' Mothers of Russia" in a judicial procedure.

The sitting of the Constitutional Court of Armenia that ended late on April 18 decided to satisfy the suit of Armen Arutyunyan, a human rights defender.

he Civil Assistance Committee has provided Caucasian Knot with the information on abduction and murder of Sajasan village residents (Nozhaj-Jurt district, Chechnya).

The Chechen prime-minister Ramzan Kadyrov has demanded removal as soon as possible all places for refugees residing on the territory of the Chechen Republic.

Three residents of Kurchaloj, detained on April 2 have been released, according to the information received on April 18 by Russian-Chechen information agency.

Human rights activists emphasize also that it is impossible to solve the problem of abductions, disappearances and tortures of arrested persons in Chechnya only by stopping the illegal actions of the ORB-2 agents.

Caucasian Knot has received an open letter from Dr. Aaron Roads, executive director of International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. The letter is addressed to the law enforcement authorities in Chechnya; a copy was sent to Vladimir Ustinov, the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, and to Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman of the Russian Federation. According to the letter, two persons were abducted on April 9, 2006 in Chechnya.

On April 17, in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, at the trial of human rights activist Osman Boliev, accused of keeping, purchasing and carrying arms, the scheduled court session did not take place.

On April 10 in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, at the trial of human rights activist Osman Boliev, accused of keeping, purchasing and carrying arms, the judge rejected the defense petition to examine the authenticity of the signatures of prosecution witnesses, police officers Vitaly Shamber and Konstantin Novitsky on the documents of the criminal case.

in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, at the trial of human rights activist Osman Boliev, accused of keeping, purchasing and carrying arms, the court will proceed to interrogate witnesses for the defense.

Dagestan law enforcement agencies have interrogated the US citizen Kelly McEvers three times this week. The employee of Washington John Hopkins University has come to Dagestan under a UNEADCO program, reports Radio "Liberty."

Investigation of the incident in Dagestan, involving the detention of Kelly McEvers, an American citizen and employee of John Hopkins University, continues. For reference, on the night of March 29, militia officers from Khasavyurt militia station detained her at the exit from the town of Khasavyurt at one of the road traffic control points. The American visited Khasavyurt under a UNEADCO program, upon an invitation of the public organization "Foundation of Humanitarian Initiatives", for taking part in training on tolerance among school-children and youth. Prior to that, she visited Derbent, Selakh Gunib and Ghimry.

An investigation of the case of Kelly McEvers, US citizen, continues in Dagestan.

On March 30, 2006, Timirkhan Makhmadievich Shakhbulatov, born in 1966, was kidnapped by unknown armed persons wearing black clothes near his house in Grozny.

About three thousand residents of Volgodonsk, Rostov oblast, have held a meeting to protect their social interests in connection with the construction of the second block of a nuclear power station.

In March 24-26, the Warsaw Regional Congress of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) of the Council of Europe (CE) states was held on the issues of involving civil society into democratic construction. Andrei Ozharovskiy, expert of the Russian public organization "Ekozaschita!" (Ecology Protection), who took part in the congress told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On the night of March 29, militia officers from Khasavyurt militia station in Dagestan detained Kelly McEvers, a US citizen employee of John Hopkins University, at the exit from the town of Khasavyurt at one of the road traffic control points. During 8 hours, they checked her documents, although she had all permit documents, including the visa extended till April 16, and confiscated her dictaphone, photo camera and notebook. A video recording was made despite her objections. The detainee was released by 4 a.m. She was met by Khadjimurad Kamalov, director of the publishing house "Freedom of Speech", Ltd.

The next sitting of the Moscow's 9th appellate court of arbitrage which considers the complaint by the Russian office of PEN-club international organization of writers and poets (Russian PEN-Centre) against the ruling of the Moscow court of arbitrage on payment by the centre of 1 million and 18 roubles as a fine for evading the land tax, will take place on Monday, March 3. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Alexander Tkachenko, general director of the Russian PEN-Centre.

Today, David Sanakoev, ombudsman under the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, has addressed a letter to ambassador Roy Reev, head of OSCE mission in Georgia, and a copy to Gilliom Siemenski, head of Office on Human Dimension under the OSCE mission in Georgia. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent at the Information and Press department of the unrecognized republic.