News

As of today, the whereabouts of two residents of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, brothers Adam and Umar Dautovs, who are 15 years old, is still unknown. The teenagers disappeared on January 28, 2006, states the press release of the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship that has arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" editorial board.

A private of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment for beating his comrade soldier.

The appointed for today at the Khasavyurt City Court of Dagestan consideration of the criminal case of human rights activist Osman Boliev, accused of illegal purchase, storage and bearing of weapons, has not taken place because of the disease of the defendant, Boliev himself called up the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the therapeutic ward of the Khasavyurt City Hospital, where he was placed late last week with complaints on cardiac, head and backbone pains and general weakness.

The "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports that the advocate of the mothers of film director Sergey Bodrov and actor Timofey Nosik who perished at a gletcher landslide in Karmadon Gorge in North Ossetia, has filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

Participation in training seminars on judicial defence, organized by the Regional Public Movement "Chechen Committee for National Salvation" (ChCNS) has helped local lawyers in preparation and subsequent submission of more than 10 "Chechen cases" to the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbur was struck by the disastrous state of forced migrants from Chechnya and North Ossetia who are now sheltered by Ingushetia. The situation with temporary refugees was the central topic of Ms Arbur's meeting with President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov in the city of Magas. "Despite all the efforts obviously undertaken by the Republic and international organizations, these people live in extremely disastrous conditions. It is also obvious that they've been living in these conditions for a very long time already," the High Commissioner has added.

The "Voice of Beslan" committee representatives who went on hunger strike on February 9, have stopped their action of protest, reports Ella Kesaeva, representative of the committee.

A mass fight provoked by skinheads took place during a rock concert in the Moscow's concert hall named after Gorbunov on Friday, February 19.

According to NGO Centre of Civil Initiatives from Nagorny Karabakh, the following religious organizations act in Karabakh: "Jehovah's Witnesses" (from 1993, 200 members), "Evangelist Baptists" (from 2000, about 20 members), "Christian Evangelist Faith" (from 1999, 350 members), "Seventh-Day Adventists" (from 2000, 40 members), "Evangelist Church" (from 1995, 600 members), "Jesusists" (data not available).

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."