News

The military medical commission under the Ministry of National Security has completed its expert examination of Ali Insanov, ex-Minister of Health, accused by the authorities of attempted coup d'etat. The examination results show that Insanov suffers from hypertension and spinal hemia. According to the ex-minister lawyers, the military medical commission recommends outpatients treatment of the diseases. However, the defence does not agree because spinal hemia can not be treated at the outpatients department.

Today, the relatives of Ertshkho Sultanovich Khachukaev, born in 1983, kidnapped resident of the Achkhoi-Martan village in Chechnya, have learnt about his location. According to the family members, he was kept for two weeks by a power authority in the Urus-Martan district centre and now has been transferred to the Grozny pre-trial prison, runs the press-release of the Chechen-Russian friendship society handed over to the "Caucasian Knot".

Hearings on the murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, will re-start today at Moscow city court, as the Moscow city court press-secretary Anna Usacheva has informed the RIA "Novosti." The hearings are to be resumed after a long break. "The court session will start anew from the preliminary hearings. The parties will submit their petitions, including a petition on consideration of the case by a single judge or by a jury," says Usacheva.

Chechen human rights activists and public figures think that colonel Budanov sentenced for murdering Elza Kunghaeva, a 17-year-old Chechen girl, should not be released before term.

On February 13, 2006, Fail Sadretdinov, Moscow notary accused of complicity in the murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, submitted an address to Tikhomirov A.V., chief of pre-trial prison 77/5, and to his defence lawyer Е.L. Liptser. From these addresses and from the description of torturous conditions of detention it may be seen what exactly made the inmate of cell number 04, an invalid of category 2, risk this act of despair, runs the report of information agency "For Human Rights" submitted to the "Caucasian Knot"

Today, the court has brought its verdict to Stanislav Dmitrievskiy: 2 years of suspended sentence, 4 years on probation, prohibition to change residence. The criminal case was initiated last January under article 282, para 2 of RF CC, "actions aimed at stirring hate or hostility... on the basis of race, nationality... membership in a social group."

The human rights centre "Memorial" reports that a criminal case is continued to be framed against Mekhti Mukhaev, family member of an applicant to the European Court on Human Rights. The "Memorial" HRC reported previously that Mekhti Mukhaev, family member of applicants to the Strasbourg court, was unlawfully detained and subjected to torture in order to falsify a criminal case against him. Mekhti Mukhaev, born in 1958, is a resident of the mountainous village of Zumsoi, Itum-Kalin district in Chechnya.

On February 13, 2006, it became known that Osman Boliev, head of "Romashka" public organization detained on November 15, 2005 in the town of Khasavyurt (Dagestan) was released from custody against recognizance not to leave by a decision of the Khasavyurt town court. This was reported by Makhmut Magomadov, one of Boliev's lawyers, by telephone to the public movement "ChCNA."

Stanislav Dmitrievskiy, executive director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and chief editor of the "Pravozaschita" (human rights protection) newspaper, has filed today a cassation application to the Judicial Panel on Criminal cases of Nizhni Novgorod regional court against the ruling passed by the Soviet district court of Nizhni Novgorod, runs the RChFS message submitted to the "Caucasian Knot". Leila Khamzaeva, Dmitrievskiy's lawyer who resides in Moscow, has filed today a cassation application to the regional court, too. On Thursday, a cassation application was also filed by Yuri Sidorov, another lawyer of Dmitrievskiy. The applications contain the request to overrule the conviction and to stop the criminal proceedings.

"Next week members of the youth organization "Eni Fikir" (New Thinking) are going to launch an unlimited action of protest in front of the Azeri General Prosecutor's Office," tells Said Nuri, deputy chair of the organization, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to what he says, this action by members of the organization has been necessitated by a critical state of health of Ruslan Bashirli, leader of "Eni Fikir", who is currently held at the detention facility of the Bailov prison.

Local residents report that, on February 2, Makka Elingaraeva, resident of Gudermes district centre (Chechnya) who was considered missing, returned home, runs the information of the Council of Non-government Organizations submitted to the "Caucasian Knot."

Moscow notary Fail Sadretdinov, defendant in the case of murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, has attempted suicide, reports the RIA "Novosti." The information comes from a source in the capital's law enforcement agencies. "Sadretdinov has made an attempt of suicide. He tried to cut his veins," said the agency interlocutor.

A criminal case was initiated in Krasnodar for abuse of powers by a warrant officer of a military unit. This has been reported by Natif Gadjimetov, assistant of military prosecutor of the North Caucasus Military District. Warrant officer Stanislav Shkriabunov beat junior sergeant, resulting in the regular term serviceman having his spleen amputated.

Today, the court ruling on the case of attempted murder of Amuchi Amutinov, deputy-Premier of Dagestan and manager of the republic's pension fund, has been announced.

The Russian office of PEN-centre, international organization of writers and poets, will possibly be closed, announced Alexander Tkachenko, head of the centre, in an interview to Radio Liberty.

The search for the kidnappers and the persons kidnapped on the night of February 9 in the Gudermes district, Chechnya, has yielded no results.

In Stavropol Territory, a private serving a regular term at a Russian MIA military unit located in Nalchik (KBR) has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment at a penal colony for non-statutory relations.

Today, the magistrate of Meschanski district in Moscow considers the administrative case of violation of rules for conducting public events. Under trial are the Moscow human rights activists who participated in the picket on the Lubyanka Square by the FSB building. The human rights activists protested against accusation of non-profit organizations (NGOs and NPOs) of their links with foreign secret services, runs the statement of the "Public Verdict" Foundation handed over to the "Caucasian Knot."

The lawyers of one the defendants in the case of murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, have filed a complaint to the Russian Federal Service for Enforcement of Punishments (FSIN) and special rapporteur on human rights at the UN Committee against Torture and other Inhuman Treatment in connection with the pressure exerted on their defendant, reports RIA "Novosti."

Forty thousand Chechen residents may find themselves on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe due to the suspension of activity of the Danish Committee on Refugees.