News

The court agreed to include in the case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces instituted against Oleg Orlov*, the co-chair of the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights, the character reference letters in which human rights defenders from Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria pointed out the importance of his activities to respect human rights in Northern Caucasus.

The punishment of 3.5 years in a penal colony, requested by the prosecutor for Nikita Zhuravel, a native of Volgograd, accused of burning the Koran, is severe by the standards of the Russian law enforcement practice; and the prosecution has incorrectly qualified the defendant's actions, Alexander Verkhovsky believes.

In Ingushetia, law enforcers have invited local activists for prophylactic talks and served them warnings against taking part in extremist and unsanctioned actions, a source has informed.

In Chegem, a court returned to the police an administrative protocol on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces drawn up against Murat Kyagov due to violations.

During the week from February 12 to 18, 2024, during the ongoing armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, four persons were shot dead: three alleged militants were killed and a policeman was wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The arguments that the defence of Alexander Nozdrinov, a Krasnodar blogger, brought in the appeal were ignored, said Alexei Avanesyan, his advocate.

At a court hearing in a case on disorganization of the operation of a SIZO (pre-trial prison), Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender from Volgograd, complained being illegally kept in solitary confinement for more than 40 days.

Residents of Sochi brought flowers to the spontaneous memorial to Alexei Navalny* at the monument to the victims of political repression to express their grief, but the police regularly cleared the monument of flowers, a local activist has expressed his indignation.

In Southern Russia, law enforcers are suppressing the laying of flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny* and persecuting activists, although the law does not prohibit such citizens’ actions, lawyers point out.

A public prosecutor has requested the Visaitovsky District Court of Grozny to find Nikita Zhuravel, who burned the Koran, guilty of violating the right to religion and hooliganism and sentence him to three years and six months of imprisonment in a penal colony. That has been reported by the “Chechnya Segodnya” (Chechnya Today) news agency with reference to public prosecutor Milana Baitaeva.

A court in Kazan has arrested Askhabali Alibekov, a native of Dagestan and the author of the YouTube channel "Wild Paratrooper", for 15 days. An ambulance was called to his trial because of a suspected brain concussion.

The Civil Service Law provides for the need for higher education in order to hold the position of minister; the Prosecutor's Office (PO) can eliminate the discrepancy on their own initiative or at citizens' request. Lawyers stated this when commenting on the appointment of Akhmat Kadyrov to the post of Minister of Youth Affairs.

Policemen have conducted prophylactic talks with 14 residents of Vladikavkaz, who, in memory of Alexei Navalny, tried to lay flowers at the memorial to victims of political repressions.

The employee of the military commissariat (registration and enlistment office) in the town of Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar Territory, interrogated in the case of the building arson, has failed to confirm any significant damage caused to the commissariat by fire. This gives hope for the mitigation of charges against Boris Goncharenko and Bogdan Abdurakhmanov, their advocate has stated.

The court has sentenced Vladimir Barzykin, a resident of the town of Korenovsk, the Krasnodar Territory (also known as Kuban by the name of the main river) to a fine, finding him guilty of evading military service.

The transfer of the case of five Makhachkala rioters to Krasnodar Territory can be challenged, but success is unlikely, lawyers have indicated. Many residents of Dagestan sympathize with the defendants, but refrain from public support, Magomed Magomedov, a journalist, and Shamil Khadulaev, an activist, have informed.

The Krasnodar Territorial Court has upheld the sentence of Alexander Nozdrinov, a journalist and blogger, sentenced to 8.5 years in jail for spreading fake news about the Russian Army, the human rights project "OVD Info"* has informed.

Death of Alexei Navalny* and Caucasus, shooting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, reshuffles in government bodies and a shootout in Chechnya, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of February 12-18, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

In Astrakhan, the police detained Maria Poplavskaya, who laid flowers at the monument to the victims of political repression. After a conversation at a police station, the young woman was released with a warning.

In Rostov-on-Don, a court found Valentina Mrykhina, who was detained while laying flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny*, guilty of failure to obey a lawful request of law enforcers and fined her 2000 roubles.