News

In Dagestan, the police have changed their registration tactics, and now they visit those put on the preventive police registration list under the pretext of a population census or request them to send photographs from their place of residence, reports the “Memorial” Centre for Defence of Human Rights.

Attack on Milashina and Nemov in Chechnya, assassination of Rzhitsky, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, flooding in Tuapse, blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, 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 July 10-16. 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

The competent authorities should assess the behaviour of the law enforcers who raided the mosque located in the town of Kotelniki near Moscow during the last namaz (Friday prayer), Sergey Melikov, the head of Dagestan, has stated.

A rally against persecution of refugees from Chechnya was held in the capital of Austria. Activists of public associations expressed their disapproval of the use of violence against them in Austrian jails, and of deportation them to Russia.

The first-instance court has refused to take into account the contradictions in the prosecution's version, ignored the videos and other proofs that confirms the Ingush oppositionists' innocence; as a result of which the court made false conclusions, Magomed Abubakarov, one of the advocates, has stated.

Checking Muslims' documents during the Friday prayer in the town of Kotelniki has outraged Ramzan Kadyrov; he demanded that law enforcers be held accountable. Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma MP, had a meeting on this occasion with the governor of the Moscow Region.

Policemen came home with a check to Roman Melnichenko, a former teacher of the Volgograd State University (VolSU). The reason was in his posts in a social network, in particular, video clips in the Ukrainian language.

After the announcement of mobilization, the toughening of the Russian legislation has led to more severe sentences for absence from a military unit or desertion, including in Chechnya, where coercion to participate in the special military operation (SMO) is typical, human rights defenders have noted.

Ramzan Kadyrov has refuted the rumours that a replacement was searched for him, declaring his readiness to re-nominate for the post of the head of Chechnya at the next election. This Kadyrov's statement contradicts his earlier plans to leave the post.

The publication of the flag of a Ukrainian paramilitary formation was the reason to impose a fine on a resident of the city of Novorossiysk. He posted the flag image in a social network 10 months before the above formation was banned in Russia.

An investigator from Chechnya questioned in Moscow Elena Milashina, a journalist of the newspaper “Novaya Gazeta”, in connection with an attack on her in Grozny. A lawyer of the “Team Against Torture” (TaT)* requested the investigators to provide the journalist with state protection for investigative actions in Chechnya in connection with the threat to her life.

Convicted human rights defender Igor Nagavkin requested the court of appeal to question participants in the investigation, the victim, and the fourth defendant in the case on theft, but the Volgograd Regional Court refused to grant the request. The motions of Igor Nagavkin and another convict to request materials of the case and exclude evidence were also dismissed.

The authorities of Switzerland have considered illegal the stay in the country of Chechen native Ali Bataev, who arrived from Ukraine, and intend to deport him to Russia. Ali Bataev went on a hunger strike, as he believes that he will be persecuted by the authorities of Chechnya.

In Rostov-on-Don, the military court refused to change the verdict against Valery Kotovich, Colonel of the “Rosgvardiya”, convicted under the article on disseminating false information about the Russian Armed Forces.

The testimonies of some secret witnesses, which made the basis for the verdict against the Ingush oppositionists, contradict those of MPs and high-ranking law enforcers. The latter testified to the desire of the defendants to prevent violence at the rally, Magomed Abubakarov, the advocate for Barakh Chemurziev, has stated at the trial.

In his last plea, Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender, has doubted the impartiality of the appellate court and refused to ask for verdict mitigation. His advocate, Ilya Govorukhin, pointed to inconsistencies in the case files, while Sergey Ivaschenko, another advocate, has noted that such inconsistencies arise when courts fail to question important witnesses.

Border guards at the Minvody Airport have forced Olga Begretova, a human rights defender, to give her fingerprints and biological material, although these procedures are not provided for by the law. However, investigators found no violations in border guards' actions.

In Grozny, Alan Batyrkhanov, who had signed a contract for military service, has been sentenced to a year in prison for more than two-week-long absence from his military unit.

The Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan has for the second time considered the case of Artyom Magomedov, the head of the Rutul ROVD (District Interior Division), accused of beating a detainee and again replaced his conditional sentence with a real imprisonment.

Investigators have groundlessly ignored the application lodged by Magomed Magomedov, a deputy editor-in-chief of the "Chernovik" outlet, who demanded to bring to justice the policemen, who disrupted his solo picket, held in June 2022.