News

Murat Oziev, chief editor of the public educational newspaper "Angusht", intends to appeal against the actions of the power authorities who conducted a search in his house.

The "Memorial" international society has made a statement about a warning given to the "Memorial" for publishing the results of an independent expert study.

As has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the panel of the Kabardino-Balkaria Supreme Court has considered the cassation appeal of the Kabardino-Balkaria Prosecutor's Office against the ruling of the Nalchik town court to invalidate the decision on suspending the investigation of the murder of Rasul Tsakoev, resident of Khasaniya, and returned the case for a new investigation. The new investigation must provide a direct answer on the guilt or innocence of Anatoly Kiarov, chief of KBR MIA directorate of combating organized crime, of Rasul Tsakoev's, death.

Thanks to the coordinated joint work of the prosecutor's office, FSB and MIA of Adygea, the developments, similar to the scenario tried by extremists in Nalchik, have been precluded. This has been stated by Mikhail Prikhlenko, prosecutor of Adugea, on February 21 during the expanded coordination meeting of law enforcement agencies on the results of joint activity in 2005 and targets for 2006. As an example confirming the above statement, the prosecutor sited the dismissal of Nedzhmedin Abazii, imam of Adygeisk mosque.

Yesterday, February 28, human rights activists of the "Memorial" society stated that Moscow Prosecutor's Office suspected them of popularizing Islamic extremism. The reason for the official warning of the prosecutor's office was the publication on the "Memorial" site of an expert opinion on the ideology of the movement "Khizb ut-Takhrir" prohibited in Russia. The human rights activists call the act of the prosecutor's office "a new stage of pressure on NCOs by the authorities" and announced their intention to appeal against it in court, writes "Kommersant."

Yesterday, February 28, Chechen President Alu Alkhanov had a press-conference in Moscow. Apart from the information on the resignation of Prime-Minister Sergey Abramov, the Republic's leader made a few more statements. First, Alkhanov virtually confirmed the recent statement of Louise Arbur and Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissars of the United Nations and the Council of Europe on Human Rights, to the effect that torture is applied to detainees in Chechnya, reports the "Nezavisimaya Gazeta."

On February 22, 2006, at about 8:00 p.m., Andzhaev, Boris Mikhailovich, was severely beaten by four unknown persons right near his house. On that day, the Elista City Court started hearing the case about cancellation of the outcomes of electing the Mayor of the city of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, and the deputies of the Elista City Assembly, where advocate Andzhaev represented the interests of the claimant.

On February 27, 2006, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ingushetia held the last sitting of the jury on the case of Muslim Lechievich Gutseriev, born in 1982, a resident of the Chechen Republic, who was accused under Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Banditism"). Having heard the defendant's last plea, the jurymen retired for consultation and then passed their verdict: Muslim Gutseriev should be acquitted for absence of proofs of his guilt. Gutseriev was set free right in the courtroom.

Last week, Alvaro Gil-Robles, head of the Office of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, and his future successor Thomas Hammarberg finished their visit to Chechnya. In Grozny, they had meetings with Chechen leadership and local MPs, and visited the State University and investigatory isolation facility (SIZO) "Chernokozovo".

The Basmanny Court of Moscow has postponed consideration of the claim of "Rosregistratsia" (Federal Registration Service) demanding liquidation of the Russian Human Rights Research Centre (RHRRC), because of the claimant's failure to appear at the courtroom. "The court has postponed consideration of the claim of 'Rosregistratsia' on liquidation of the Centre till April 10 for absence of the claimants," Lyubov Vinogradova, director of the RHRRC, said on Monday.

The Danish Board on Refugees' Matters can resume its operation in Chechnya within the nearest two-three days. This was stated to journalists in Grozny by Ramzan Kadyrov, acting prime-minister of the Chechen Republic, after his meeting with Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights.

Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, has called Chechen militants to lay down arms. He made this statement in Grozny after meeting President of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov, the "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports.

The problem of mass infection of children with unknown disease in Shelkovskoy District of Chechnya gets to the level of the Council of Europe. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, told the "Interfax" on Saturday evening that he "plans to raise the point at a high level."

The Prosecutor's Office of the Marneul District of Georgia has opened criminal cases against all the sixteen Azerbaijanis detained on February 22 in the village of Damya Gorarkhy.

Today in the evening, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., opponents of war in Chechnya held a picket in the Pushkin Square in Moscow dated to the 62nd anniversary of deportation under Stalin's order in 1944 of Chechen and Ingush nationals to Middle Asia. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Dmitry Brodsky, one of the organizers of the action, that about 40 persons took part in the action.

At today's meeting with Louise Arbur, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is concerned of violations of human rights in Chechnya. As the President's press service reports that the agenda of the meeting included many "painful Russian issues", including the situation in Chechnya. "Russia is worried, not less that its foreign partners, with human rights violations in Chechnya, but those who put an equality sign between terrorists and Russian militaries are not right," said Russian leader in his talk with Ms Arbur.

Abdurakhim Magomedov, a resident of the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, who is co-chairman of the human rights organization "Civil Alternative", detained last October, is accused of complicity to militants. This was reported by a source of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya. According to the source, a criminal case was initiated against Mr Magomedov.

"Decrease of intensity of disappearances is a result of decrease of the intensity of the conflict in Chechnya," Louise Arbur, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on February 22 after her meeting with Dmitry Kozak, plenipotentiary representative of the RF President in South Federal District (SFD), at a press conference in the city of Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Territory, the correspondent of the IA REGNUM reports.

"We've managed to meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbur, although with certain difficulties. Nobody had warned us that early in the morning she would be at school. Although representatives of "Beslan Mothers" were with her, nobody had warned us about her arrival," Ella Kesaeva, co-chairman of the "Voice of Beslan" Committee, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Therefore, we went to the building of the government, where Arbur had a meeting with the leader of the Republic. The securities have recognized us, probably, they were afraid of scandal and let us in. However, they told us that we should have just a couple of minutes."

The Moslem community of the city of Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory) is puzzled with the arrest and extortion charges of the Imam of the mosque of Pyatigorsk.