News

The Azerbaijani Institute of Media Rights (IMR) has promulgated a report on situation with mass media of the country in November. The document, now at the disposal of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, runs that in the reporting period five facts of pressure on journalists were registered.

The judge refused to re-qualify the case dealing with the murder of Magomed Evloev, owner of the website "Ingushetia.Ru", into another article of the Criminal Code because of the pressure exerted by the prosecutor's office. This opinion was stated by human rights activist and advocate Musa Pliev, now appointed as adviser of President of Ingushetia to coordinate the work of power agencies.

Representatives of the Association of Linguistic Experts named "Argument", who were engaged in analyzing articles from the newspaper "Time of Actions", have stated that never treated the paper as extremist. Since judicial bodies only are entitled to qualify and, moreover, recognize this or that text or mass media as extremist.

Last night, on December 11, militiamen and a representative of the administration of the Tver District of Moscow moved claims to the slogans of the participants of the weekly picket against violations of human rights in Northern Caucasus. The picket was held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Novopushkinskiy Mini-Park in the centre of the capital, near a big New Year tree decorated with garlands.

The authorities of Azerbaijan have fulfilled the prescription of the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) to transfer former Minister of Public Health Ali Insanov, who is now serving his imprisonment, to the medical establishment of the Penitentiary Service. Insanov's advocate Togrul Babaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his client was transferred today from Colony No. 13 to the hospital of the Penitentiary System.

Today, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has rejected the petition lodged last week by the accusation asking to transfer the trial on the events on October 13, 2005, to some other region.

In Krasnodar, district departments on education have ordered from city schools to compile lists of pupils-natives from the Caucasus with indication of their home addresses.

On December 10-11, the telephone hotline opened in Ingushetia for people to complain against power agents' actions received 5-6 calls every hour, as human rights activist and lawyer Musa Pliev, appointed as adviser to President of Ingushetia for coordinating power agencies, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Mr Pliev has appointed personal meetings on December 12 to three complaining citizens.

The European Court for Human Rights has accepted to consideration the claim against Azerbaijan demanding to find the state guilty of destroying Armenian khachkars in Staraya Dzhuga (Nakhichevan). The claim against the government of Azerbaijan was filed by the organization named "The Board West-Armenian Armenians".

On December 10, the UVD (Interior Department) of the city of Anapa and the Azov-Black Sea Nature Protection Prosecutor's Office suspended the construction of the Sukko-Utrish Highway in the "Bolshoi Utrish" Reserve.

The Supreme Court of Chechnya has received a criminal case against five residents of the Republic accused of kidnappings with the aim to extort ransom. They were presented charges on a number of articles of the Criminal Code.

On December 10 in Moscow, the A. D. Sakharov Museum and Public Centre hosted the Conference of Human Rights Organizations of Russia dated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

On December 10 Ingushetia set up the Public Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic, as reported by Magomed Mutsolgov, human rights activist and member of the Board of Experts under Russian Ombudsman.

The Department of the Russian Committee for Supervision over Communications ("Rossvyazkomnadzor") has finished the revision of the observance by the newspaper "Time of Actions", published in the Dagestan city of Derbent, of the legislation on mass media. According to the Department's conclusion, the paper had published articles with appeals to extremist activities.

Baku has hosted the Second Forum "On Situation with Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Azerbaijan". It was initiated by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) of Azerbaijan and dated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights activists assert that violations of human rights in the country are still of mass character.

Nino Burdzhanadze, ex-speaker of Georgian parliament calls for early presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia to be held in spring of 2009.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has re-confirmed the legality of arms deliveries to Georgia, treating the opposing statements as slander.

Ingushetia has commemorated FSB Lieutenant Colonel Alikhan Kalimatov, who perished while performing his duties. In his memory, School No. 4 in Ordzhonikidzevskaya village, Sunzha District of the republic, where he was a pupil, has installed a memorial board.

The Belarusian parliament can consider the issue of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2009. Sergey Maskevich, head of the parliamentary commission for international matters and relations with the CIS, has expressed this opinion today.

The international human rights organization "Reporters without Borders" has expressed its regret that Ganimat Zakhidov, editor of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom) published in Azerbaijan, and his brother satirist Sakit Zakhidov (Mirza Sakit) were returned behind the bars despite numerous appeals of their relatives, friends and human rights activists with demands to pardon them.