News

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan has acquitted Sultan Arslangereev, who was accused of murdering Dagir Kachaev, Imam of the mosque, on February 22, 2007, in Makhachkala.

On February 27, the Nazran District Court, Ingushetia started litigation on the claim of the Regional Public Movement "Chechen Committee of National Salvation" against the Department of the Federal Registration Service for the Republic of Ingushetia.

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) works in Northern Caucasus in strict conformity with the Russian legislation, thinks Professor Vladimir Gevorkov, Merited Lawyer of the Russian Federation, President of the Bar of the Stavropol Territory on the Caucasian Mineral Waters and Doctor of Jurisprudence.

Negotiations with the authorities are possible only provided the presidential election on February 19 were recognized failed and new election announced in Armenia.

The state cannot bear illegal rallies in Armenia for a long time. President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said in his interview to the managers of the leading broadcasting companies, which took place late at night on February 26.

Alan Tskhurbaev, editor of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) for Northern Caucasus told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the political pretext of confiscation of equipment from the IWPR's office for Northern Caucasus.

Despite improvements in the sphere of human rights, Chechnya still faces the problem of missing people and impunity for crimes against peaceful citizens.

The Chudovo District Court of the Novgorod Region has passed a verdict to Khasan Didigov, a former suspect in involvement of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment.

A draft resolution "Situation in Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan" was prepared by the Azerbaijani Republic and brought to the United Nations.

In the opinion of lawyer Gia Meparishvili, deputy of the Parliament of Georgia, former General Public Prosecutor and Professor of the Tbilisi State University named after Ivane Dzhavakhishvili, the judicial system of Georgia is in a catastrophic condition.

The Amnesty International is expressing its deep concern with the fact that the investigation into the case of Anna Politkovskaya's murder "until now has failed to identify the main customers," as well as with the pressure on mass media and civil society in Russia as a whole.

Today, a group of 50 residents of Ingushetia has arrived to Kabardino-Balkaria. The aim of their visit to Nalchik is to draw attention and win support of the public of Kabardino-Balkaria to the problem of human rights in Ingushetia.

In the evening on February 25, Suren Surenyants, a member of the Political Board of the "Republic" opposition party, was forced to the police station and then arrested, when he was leaving the Freedom Square of the capital of Armenia.

As a result of the today's four-hour-long meeting of representatives of the opposition and the authorities of Georgia, an agreement was reached on the basic demands of the opposition related to staffing of the Public Television and release from custody of political prisoners.

Natalia Estemirova, employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has become the chair of the newly-created Public Council for assisting in ensuring human and citizens' rights and freedoms under the administration of the city of Grozny.

On February 24, in the district of Los Angeles named "Minor Armenia" a rally of the Armenians who live in this American city was held, where the participants addressed the US Department of State not to recognize the outcomes of the presidential election in Armenia.

Six employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia have been dismissed from their posts for support of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, presidential candidate from the opposition.

The Election Office of Levon Ter-Petrosyan has addressed the Prosecutor's Office and the observation mission of the OSCE/ODIHR with a request to consider the violations admitted by the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia during its sitting on February 24 dedicated to final totals of the presidential election.

One more case has been initiated against the members of the "Voice of Beslan" Committee, this time - an administrative one.

In the evening on February 22, at about 6:00 p.m. in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Agyl Khalilov, a reporter of the "Azadlyg" newspaper, was severely beaten.