News

A trial has been launched in the town of Uryupinsk against Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender, who is serving his term at a penal colony there. According to Valentin Bogdan, also a human rights defender, the colony bosses have grossly violated the law by leaving Nagavkin in the dungeon (punishment cell) for two consecutive terms.

The court has awarded Zainulabidin Mirzabekov, a Makhachkala resident, with compensation in the amount of 11 million roubles for his illegal criminal prosecution and eight years he spent behind bars. Mirzabekov, who had claimed 414 million roubles, intends to appeal against the court ruling.

The leader of Chechnya voiced the idea of excluding the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham”* grouping, which seized power in Syria, from the list of terrorist organizations. Ramzan Kadyrov also proposed sending Chechen law enforcers to Syria.

The authorities of Georgia have sanctioned human rights violations in the country, the “Amnesty International” (AI) human right organization claims in its report. Human rights defenders have called for an end to the violence, the release of detainees, and a thorough investigation into the attacks and beatings.

The “Amnesty International” and “Article19” human rights organizations condemned the arrests of journalists and called on the international community to respond to human rights violations in Azerbaijan.

A resident of the Stavropol Territory, convicted of participating in the "Islamic State" (IS)*, has stated that he had confessed under torture.

Isalmagomed Nabiev, who has signed an appeal in defence of the detained Ramazan Rabadanov, received a summons to the Dagestani branch of the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service). The activist saw this as a chance to convince law enforcers to objectively investigate the Rabadanov's case.

The Izobilnensky District Court has sentenced Vasily Pogrebitsky, a former participant in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, to 1.5 years of conditional imprisonment, finding him guilty of threatening to kill and robbery.

A court in Sochi has found Vladimir Atamanchuk, a local activist, guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to 160 hours of community works, as well as a fine in favour of the suffered party – Valery Baev, a lawyer.

Forced migrants from Chechnya living in Ingushetia have asked authorities to solve their housing problems by the 30th anniversary of the First Chechen War – to index payments due to them or return the status of forced migrants.

Second president of Georgia and continuation of protests, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, Zarema Musaeva’s case, 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 December 9-15, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

The mother of Anna Tsomartova, a North-Ossetian athlete who went missing, has complained that she is being threatened with dismissal from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for criticizing law enforcement bodies for inefficient inquiry into her daughter's disappearance.

Activists sent money and postcards to the arrested pensioners accused of creating an illegal armed formation. The group of three pensioners does not meet the definition of an illegal armed formation (IAF), lawyers point out.

Zarema Musaeva has been accused of disrupting the operation of the penal colony. She faces up to five years of imprisonment.

Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender, was not released from the dungeon (punishment cell), although his second consecutive placement there has expired. The colony administration in the town of Uryupinsk has refused to inform Igor's sister about his health condition.

The idea of the authorities of the Rostov Region to involve law enforcers in checking Roma and Cossacks by questioning their neighbours violates the laws and tramples on the rights of the Roma population. At the same time, there are no tension hotbeds in relations with Roma in the region; and the work with communities should be conducted through their leaders.

In Vladikavkaz, a driver got into a road traffic accident because of his deteriorated health state. According to the investigators’ version, instead of sending the man to a hospital, law enforcers took him to a police station, and the man later died.

In her appeal to the head of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), a mother of Chechen teenager Roman Murdiev claimed that she had repeatedly filed complaints, but received refusals.

The Basmanny Court of Moscow has left Nadezhda Kevorkova, a journalist, accused of justifying terrorism, in custody until March 3, 2025.

Ruslan Nurushev, a Volgograd lawyer, has been brought final charges under the article on spreading fakes about the Russian Army. The defence has asked the court to schedule a preliminary hearing and consider the issue of Nurushev's release.