News

The explosion of Beslan school, where in September 2004 militants took hostages, occurred through the fault of terrorists, not as a result of actions of power agents.

On Wednesday, December 20, the deputies of the Russian parliament refused to ratify Protocol No. 14 to the Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which forms the basis for operation of the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.

An officer from the Chechnya military kommandatura (commandants' office) thinks that a mere mistake could be the most probable cause of the incident in the Achkhoj-Martan District that resulted in death of two peaceful residents.

On Thursday, December 21, the North-Caucasian Regional Military Court interrogated six victims in the case of the group special fighters ("spetsnaz") under command of captain Eduard Ulman accused of murdering six peaceful Chechens in 2002.

It has become known to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" from a message placed in the web-site of the General Prosecutor's Office that the investigation of the case on the attack on power structures of Kabardino-Balkaria committed on October 13 last year.

The law enforcement bodies of Chechnya are investigating the fact of perishing in the mountains of two residents of the Achkhoi-Martan District who were shot dead on Wednesday night in a dense forest 15 kilometres from the dwelling settlement Chozhi-Chu.

The widow of Alexander Litvinenko has thanked the British investigators who returned yesterday from Moscow for their investigation into the death of her husband.

On December 20, the North-Caucasian Regional Military Court continued interrogating witnesses in Ulman's case.

The emissary of Chechen separatists has stated that Russian authorities, who have resumed investigation of his criminal case, are thus trying to scare him.

An order of Mr. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, has appeared in the web-site of the RF President. The order lists the Non-Commercial Organizations (NCOs), which will be funded from the state budget.

The Chief Department of the General Public Prosecutor's Office for the South Federal District has resumed the earlier suspended investigation on the criminal case in relation to Ahmed Zakaev, emissary of Chechen separatists, initiated back in 2001.

On December 14, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that the judicial authorities of the Russian Federation had encroached on the right of Anatoly Karman, former editor-in-chief of the "Gorodskie Vesti" (City News) newspaper (Volgograd), for the freedom of expression, stipulated by Article 10 of the European Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The heads of the Danish Council for Refugees have categorically refuted the accusations put forward in relation to this humanitarian organization by Russian FSB director Nikolai Patrushev.

Moscow notary Fail Sadretdinov, defendant in the murder case of Paul Khlebnikov, editor of the Russian version of the Forbes magazine, has made an attempt to hang himself in the trial prison, where he is now kept.

Vladimir Plotnikov, former commander of the special operation - now witness in Ulman's case, - has stated that had not ordered to kill residents of Chechnya.

Today, Ismail Bostanov, rector of the Islamic Institute, has undergone an emergency surgery in the city hospital of Cherkessk (Karachayevo-Cherkessia).

The "Caucasian Knot" has informed earlier that on October 7, 2006, three militants were killed in Chechnya.

Nikolai Patrushev, Director of the FSB, has moved his claims to the operations of the Danish Council for Refugees (DCF) in the territory of Russia.

The cassation complaint of the terror act victims that was lodged to the Supreme Court of Russia does not appeal against the life sentence passed earlier to Nurpashi Kulaev, survived attacker of school No. 1.

Sergey Mironov, speaker of the Council of Federation, has put a task before the Parliamentary Commission on Beslan, to finalize its report by the end of 2006.