News

The Committee for Protection of Human Rights of the United Nations has made a number of remarks on inefficient protection of civil and political human rights in Georgia. They were stated during presentation of the Committee's conclusions on the 3rd Periodic Report on legal defence at the office of Sozar Subari, Ombudsman of Georgia.

In the Volgograd Region, prosecutor's inspections undertaken at five investigatory isolation facilities and eight premises that function as SIZOs have revealed numerous violations of the rights of suspects and defendants.

The Union of Right-Wing Forces Party in North Ossetia has stated that all the ballot papers were taken away to the districts of the Republic, and the votes were tabulated there, not at the Central Electoral Commission.

The authorities of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan have released Ilgar Nasibov, a reporter of Radio Liberty.

The Elborus District Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has sentenced employees of District Interior Unit M. Mashezov and M. Baichekuev, accused of tortures, to three years of imprisonment with serving the punishment at the general custody colony.

Relatives of Aishat Pogorova who was knocked down to death by an armoured troop-carrier of federal troops in the Prigorodny District of North Ossetia have stated that the Prosecutor's Office is reluctantly investigating the death of the woman.

The operation of the Internet site "Ingushetia.Ru" has been temporarily suspended. The owner of site Magomed Evloev has fulfilled his father's will and closed the website.

Today, the Supreme Court of North Ossetia has again postponed making decision on re-registration of the committee named "Voice of Beslan" - this time because of the absence of the new chairperson of the committee.

Representatives of the public of Ingushetia are going to visit Yakhya Evloev, father of Magomed Evloev, and ask him not to stop the web portal Ingushetia.Ru.

"Despite all doubtfulness of the voting outcomes (according to data disseminated by the Chechen Central Electoral Commission, the voter turnout was almost 100 percent, and 99 percent of the electorate have supported the "Yedinaya Rossiya"), the leaders of the branches of other Russian political parties in Chechnya will not dare to confront the "Yedinaya Rossiya"."

Over a hundred members of the Communist Parties of the Russian Federation have rallied in the Rodopy Boulevard of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, to protest against falsifications at the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The tax audits held in the "Gala" TV Company and other steps of the authorities of Armenia against the Company have been provoked by electoral processes, in particular, by broadcasting of the Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first President of Armenia.

In Azerbaijan, human rights activists do not exclude that a new pardon decree will be passed Azerbaijan and cover, in particular, the convicted journalists.

Today, at the Elborus District Court of Kabardino-Balkaria the accused militiamen M. Mashezov and M. Baichekuev have presented their last plea. The militiamen charged with beating two teenagers and using torture to them, have refused to plead guilty and asked the court to acquit them.

Representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) assert that the electoral campaign and elections in Dagestan were accompanied by mass violations and falsifications in favour of the party in power committed by state servants.

Ilgar Nasibov, a regional correspondent of Radio Liberty, was arrested today in the city of Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan).

The voter turnout of 99.21 percent on December 2, announced by the Chechen Electoral Commission, is hardly real. However, the outcome of this sort could be anticipated.

Leader of the "People's Party" Koba Davitashvili thinks that ex-President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili has declared war to his political opponents.

On December 2, 2007, Russia will hold elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Along with elections to the State Duma, Chechnya will also hold a referendum on making changes in the Constitution of the Chechen Republic. It is planned to increase the terms in office of the President of Chechnya and Parliamentarians from four to five years and to make the Chechen Parliament one-chambered.

According to preliminary data, the damage from the spillage of mazut (black oil) as a result of the shipwreck of Russian tanker "Volganeft-139" in the Kerch Strait can reach $898 million. Currently, the content of petroleum products in the Kerch Strait is extremely high - the exposure limit has been exceeded by 50 times.