News

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, sentence of General Muzraev, continuation of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, case on Inal Djabiev’s death, 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 March 20-26, 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

A court in Kalmykia has taken into custody the sixth colony employee, accused of abuse of authority and using violence against colony inmates from Dagestan.

A court in Krasnodar has fined a local female resident, finding her guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

For two years now, the Sochi police have been checking the complaint against the developer who was earlier convicted and his companion. At the same time, law enforcers do not refuse to initiate a criminal case, but they do not start it either.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has communicated a complaint against the detention of Zarema Musaeva, demanding explanation from Russian authorities on how lawful Chechen law enforcers' actions were, human rights defenders have informed.

The chat messages posted on behalf of Idris Arsamikov, who was detained by Chechen law enforcers, give no grounds to assert that he is alive, human rights defenders have pointed out.

Among the 82 residents of Russia, whose complaints about persecutions in connection with involvement in undesirable organizations communicated by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), there were seven residents of Kuban (the Krasnodar Territory) and Adygea.

Ramzan Kadyrov was awarded the medal "Deserved Human Rights Defender of the Chechen Republic". The head of Chechnya was decorated for his outstanding merits in protecting citizens' rights and freedoms, Mansur Soltaev, the Chechen Ombudsperson, has stated.

Law enforcers tortured Oleg Vazhdaev with electric current and demanded from him to name the Ukrainian customers standing behind the arson of the military registration and enlistment office in Krasnodar. Oleg Vazhdaev had to incriminate himself, his advocate stated.

A case on financing terrorism instituted against Irina Dudka, a native of Kuban, was the revenge of the law enforcement bodies for protests against the sentence of her sister, who was convicted on a similar charge, Irina Dudka herself said.

Said-Khusein Magomadov, a blogger was spotted at the congress of the Chechen nation; he posted his photos with Chechen officials in a social network. After the assassination attempt on him, of which he blamed Chechen authorities, the blogger redirected his criticism from Ramzan Kadyrov to Akhmed Zakaev.

Law enforcers have drawn up a protocol on discrediting the Russian Army against Maria Kunchenko, a resident of Kuban (the Krasnodar Territory), who had posted leaflets with anti-mobilization calls in the village of Grigorievskaya.

The European Union (EU) has expressed its solidarity with the historical, educational, charitable and human rights society "Memorial"*, and called on the Russian authorities to stop the unjustified persecution thereof.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled on the claims of 15 activists who complained about the disproportionate measures taken by law enforcers during the dispersal of protests, as well as about subsequent arrests and fines.

A court in Makhachkala has appointed two months of arrest for Larisa Bachieva, who is accused within the case of an extremist organization. Her defence insisted on house arrest; the court ruling will be appealed against, a relative of Bachieva has informed.

The widow of Nikolai Zakharchenko, a pensioner who committed suicide after being accused of growing hemp, is satisfied with the court's decision to compensate for her moral harm suffered from her husband's unjustified criminal prosecution and death; but she finds it more important to bring their neighbour to criminal liability for false denunciation.

In Novorossiysk, a court recognized a video posted on the YouTube channel by native of Dagestan Askhabali Alibekov to be discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and sentenced him to a year and two months of imprisonment in a penal colony. That was reported by the human rights project “OVD-Info”* with reference to advocate Marina Dubrovina.

In Makhachkala, a court sentenced Mukhamed-Afandi Asipov to a two-year suspended sentence in a case on an attack on a law enforcer during protests against mobilization.

The Stavropol Territorial Court has refused to challenge the state defenders in the "Ingush case"; after which the defence tried to challenge the judge, but the court rejected this demand as well.

The lawsuit filed by the widow of Vladimir Tskaev, a resident of Vladikavkaz who died after being questioned by the police, against the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) demanding 15 million roubles in compensation was left without consideration.