News

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should conduct an independent examination of the health of Ruben Vardanyan, who is on a hunger strike, guarantee that he receives the due medical care and ensure the respect of the rights of all Armenian prisoners, 28 NGOs have stated.

The Azeri Govt has treated the awarding of AZAL flight attendants and the condolences expressed by Ramzan Kadyrov as belated, but acceptable.

The pogroms in Sumgait became the starting point for the Azerbaijan’s actions against residents of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian authorities are not taking any measures to draw the attention of the world community to the problem of genocide. Such an opinion has been voiced by refugees from Sumgait.

Paying tribute to the memory of the country’s residents who fell victim to the Sumgait pogroms reminds people that they need to overcome hostility and prevent similar events in the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia has announced.

The flight attendants of the Baku-Grozny flight who survived the plane crash have been presented for an award for their services to Chechnya. In addition, a memorial plaque will be installed in Grozny.

On the tenth anniversary of the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, it became known that Abdul Elmurzaev, a native of Chechnya, has been put on the wanted list. He had been following Boris Nemtsov for two months before his assassination, the “Agency”* reports. Investigators have not yet made public the names of those who ordered the assassination of the politician.

Three men were held in labour slavery in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia; their documents were taken away, they were paid no wages, and they were beaten up for their offenses. They managed to contact the "Alternativa" movement, after which they were released.

The human rights project "Support for political prisoners. Memorial" has recognized Stanislav Shevchenko, a resident of Maykop (the capital of Adygea), as a political prisoner. He was sentenced to four years in colony for justifying terrorism online.

Adam Delimkhanov, a Russian State Duma member from Chechnya, has claimed that opponents of the Chechen authorities who migrated to Europe “will be destroyed.”

Families are afraid of releasing information about violence, while victims are often subjected to relatives’ pressure instead of receiving their help from, human rights defenders have noted in their comments on the chaining of a girl in Kizilyurt.

The Uryupinsk City Court has upheld the penalties imposed on Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender, who is serving his term in a colony settlement. His defence treats the court ruling as biased and intends to appeal against it.

Advocates of Mziya Amaglobeli, the founder of the “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti” online publications, request a court to recognize the journalist as a victim, since she was injured after her detention.

In Baku, a court sentenced Aziz Orudjov, the head of the “Kanal-13” online TV Channel, to imprisonment, finding him guilty of illegal construction. The journalist has claimed that he is not guilty.

In Tbilisi, participants in six protest marches honoured the memory of those killed in battles with the Red Army. After that,they went to the Georgian parliament building, where for the 90thday in a row, protests have been held with the demand to hold new parliamentary elections and release activists.

The defence of those convicted under the Ingush case has filed a complaint against the verdict with the Panel of the Russian Supreme Court (SC) and will seek to lift the restrictions in effect after their release. Four of the convicts, including the elderly Malsag Uzhakhov and Akhmed Barakhoev, remain behind bars.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has refused to consider the appeal lodged by advocate Timur Idalov to institute criminal proceedings against Lyudmila Fedorchenko, a judge of the Khimki City Court.

Akram Shabyev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has been arrested for 30 days on charges of disobeying the police. Shabyev is being persecuted for criticizing authorities in social media, his fellow party members assert.

The court has placed Nurlan Gakhramanly, a journalist detained in the “Meydan” TV case, into custody. He has stated that he was being persecuted because of his professional activities.

Memorial events in memory of the victims of deportation, presidential election in Abkhazia, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, pollution in Anapa, 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 17-23, 2025, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Events dedicated to the anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakhs were held in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and other regions of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD). In addition to official rallies, local residents paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the deportation with religious and educational meetings.