News

A military unit stationed in Volgograd refuses to dismiss a mobilized resident of Znamensk, who was recognized unfit for the military service by a military medical commission and a court. A lawyer has appealed to the court with a request to involve the Russian Minister of Defence (MoD) in the consideration of the mobilized Znamensk resident’s case.

Prior to the pronouncement of the verdict against Dagestani journalist Abdulmumin Gadjiev, residents of Dagestan are actively interested in the progress of the trial, and this fact was facilitated by the final speech delivered by the journalist, his colleagues and friends note. They believe that the verdict will be challenged.

Elections in Russia, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, 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 September 4-10, 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

A court in Novorossiysk has found Stanislav Shaforostov, a local resident, guilty of discrediting the Russian Army for making a pacifist inscription on the administration building. The judge took into account the defendant's remorse and imposed a fine on him that was half of that provided for by the administrative article.

The Krasnodar Garrison Military Court has rejected the lawsuit lodged by Vasily Kovalyov, 50, a local resident, who demanded to nullify his mobilization conscription. Kovalyov was drafted into the army on October 11, 2022, although he had the right to a deferment from conscription as an employee of an accredited IT company.

Elena Milashina, a journalist, has refused to attend the session of the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya that will consider the appeal complaint against the verdict passed to Zarema Musaeva. The refusal is caused by the absence of Chechen authorities' reaction to the question about the safety of the trip, Ms Milashina has explained.

Policemen decided not to draw up protocols against the opponents of the garbage dump detained at a protest action held in the Kumtorkala District, and limited themselves to a warning, said activist, Shamil Khadulaev. The detentions were conducted without any use of force, another protester has added.

Irina Danilovich, a resident of Crimea, sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of possessing explosives, has been transferred to the colony located in the town of Zelenokumsk. Her father has informed that her health condition had worsened sharply; the doctor prescribed some medicine; she is taking it, but Irina can only receive the due medical treatment at hospital.

In their final speech, Kemal Tambiev, Abdulmumin Gadjiev, and Abubakar Rizvanov have stated that public prosecution did not present any convincing evidence in court. The defendants have again pleaded not guilty.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg has ordered Russian authorities to pay compensations to the natives of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Territory and Chechnya, who had suffered from torture. The decision was made amid Russia's refusal to enforce ECtHR's decisions.

Three days after the statement made by Tatiana Solomina about the threats received by her from her client's relatives living in Chechnya, investigators have failed to question her, which is contrary to the requirement of the law, the SK SOS Crisis Group* has informed.

In the Stavropol Territory, military courts sentenced mobilized Vitaly Sayutin and Anton Degtyaryov to a year of probation, and Akhmed Murtsalov – to a fine in cases on drug trafficking. In Nalchik, a court sentenced Ilyas Sultygov to nine months of probation on the same charge. Participation in the special military operation was taken into account by the courts as a mitigating circumstance.

When commenting on the threats faced by advocate Tatiana Solomina, human rights defenders have noted that those who try to help victims of domestic violence in the republics of Northern Caucasus often find themselves at risk, as they begin to receive threats from family members of a victim they defended.

Aimani Kadyrova has been awarded the Al-Fakhr order by the Russian Council of Muftis, but was not present at the awarding ceremony. The order for Kadyrova at the opening of the restored mosque in the city of Mariupol was received by Salakh Mezhiev, the Mufti of Chechnya.

Law enforcers have planted drugs, grenades and weapons on Asker Shortanov, a resident of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), who returned from the special military operation (SMO) zone in Ukraine, where he was a fighter of the "Wagner" Private Military Company (PMC), said his advocate.

Alexei Abramov, a resident of Krasnodar, who refused to take part in hostilities due to his health problems, walks on crutches, said Mikhail Benyash*, a lawyer. He has noted that the command of Alexei's military unit is dissatisfied with the publicity of his case and is putting pressure on Abramov.

The authorities’ response to protests in Ingushetia, after which elders and activists were convicted of extremism, has become one of the first signs of an increase in repressive practices across the country, human rights defenders note.

The likelihood that the convicted Ingush oppositionists will be released on the conditional early relief (CER) is quite small, their advocates believe.

A court in Rostov-on-Don has ordered the medical unit of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) to pay 300,000 roubles to Natalia Baksheeva, a resident of Krasnodar, who had claimed compensation for her husband's death in a prison hospital.

The administration of the penal colony did not hand over to advocate the letters from Abdul-Malik Albagachiev, a native of Ingushetia, in which he wrote about his state of health and the lack of medical care, advocate Irina Biryukova stated.