News

The warfare in South Ossetia was prepared both by Georgia and Russia. This conclusion was made by human rights activists of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the "Demos" Centre who visited Georgia on October 12-23 to study humanitarian consequences of the August military conflict.

The application lodged by Ahmed Kotiev, deputy chair of the alternative parliament called "National Assembly of Ingushetia", to the GOVD (City Militia Unit) of Nazran, was delivered to law enforcement bodies of the city of Mozdok, North Ossetia, for further consideration and investigation. Ahmed Kotiev told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

For the first time on October 30, officials took part in the events commemorating victims of political repressions, held in the regions of the South Federal District (SFD). The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it at the secretariats of the Human Rights Society "Memorial" in Nalchik and Astrakhan.

Experts differ in their opinions on assessing the attacks on GIBDD (Traffic Inspectorate) employee Zakre Zyazikov and Deputy Minister of Economy Arsamak Zyazikov - new attempts on the relatives of President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov.

The Council of Press (CP) of Azerbaijan has sent an appeal to President Ilham Aliev asking him to pardon four convicted journalists.

In Ingushetia, on October 27, power agents cordoned a street in Surkhakhi village, conducted searches and kidnapped three young men-members of the Aushev clan.

Rostov-on-Don has hosted a roundtable on the issues of rehabilitation and reintegration into society of the victims of trafficking in humans. The discussion participants were officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Migratory Service, and office of the Ombudsman in the Rostov Region, and representatives of public organizations.

Julietto Chieza, European MP from the Socialist Group and a member of the foreign and defence commissions of the European Parliament, and Tatiana Zhdanok, European MP and deputy of Latvian Seim, believe that the information blockade of the news about South Ossetia should be broken through. They told journalists about it on October 27 before their departure from "Vladikavkaz" Airport in Northern Ossetia.

Tatiana Kasatkina, Executive Director of the HRC "Memorial", told at the press conference yesterday, on October 28, about the situation in the Akhalgori District of South Ossetia, which was visited by human rights activists on October 21. As she said, Georgian villages are closed there, and the remaining Georgians are persuaded into Russian citizenship.

On October 28, the Moscow-based State Central Museum of Modern Russian History opened a show of photos named "The Habitat" and dedicated to the military conflict in South Ossetia.

Georgian mass media report that in the evening on October 28 six males, residents of Zerti village, Gori District of Georgia, were kidnapped.

The Centre named "NABU-Kavkaz" reports that in Adygea, in the territory of World Natural Heritage (WNH) object "Western Caucasus", illegal wood-felling and "other activities, which look quite illegal" continue. The Centre plans to address the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology and UNESCO's Centre of the World Natural Heritage.

Today, the Russian State Duma has ratified the friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which were signed in Moscow on September 17 and on October 20 brought to consideration of the Lower Chamber of the Parliament by President of Russia.

In the opinion of analysts, the interest of Russia in speeding up the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is exclusively caused by its desire to deploy its troops in the so-called "safety zones" - near the borders of the former NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Okrug).

President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisyan is sure that the Karabakh conflict can be settled: if Azerbaijan recognizes the right of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination; if Karabakh has on-land communication with Armenia; and if international organizations and leading countries guarantee safety for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tengiz Ablotiya, the Tbilisi-based expert of the Centre of Extreme Journalism, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that villages are now being built in the territory of Georgia for the projected capacity of 15,000 residents - exactly the Georgian population of South Ossetia.

Georgian and Russian experts have treated the decision of the Hague Tribunal on the Georgia-versus-Russia suit on preliminary measures as "well-balanced". The main litigation and consideration of Russia's guilt in the conflict will take up to two years.

Today, on October 28, the "Interfax" has hosted a press conference organized by representatives of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the "Demos" Centre on the outcomes of their trip to Georgia. They showed the photos made during the visit.

The son of the first President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia and oppositional politician Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, who had been arrested on suspicion of espionage for Russia and attempt of coup d'etat, is now at large on bail worth 20,000 laris (over 14,000 US dollars).

On October 23, the European Court on Human Rights considered the case "Magomed Musaev et al versus Russia" on disappearance of three residents of Chechnya: Said-Rakhman Musaev, Odes Mityaev and Magomed Magomadov, and found that the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was breached in relation of these persons.