News

The absence of statements on the causes of the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane may be explained by the fact that Baku and Moscow are looking for compromise wording of the investigation results.

The court has fined Victor Femelidi, a Volgograd resident, treating him guilty of discrediting Russian militaries.

In Azerbaijan, law enforcers have detained Elvin Zeinalov, a religious activist. His relatives have stated that narcotic drugs had been planted on him during a search.

Participants in the hearings in Strasbourg as part of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) winter session have called on the Council of Europe to take tough steps to force Azeri authorities to stop repressing their critics.

Presidential election in Abkhazia, pollution in Anapa, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, drone attacks, Georgian turbulence, 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 January 27-February 2, 2025, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Elena Patyaeva, a Seda Suleimanova's friend, has stated that she was not allowed to see her advocate after she was detained at her solo picket, and this has violated her right to defence.

A court sentenced Elena Patyaeva, a Seda Suleimanova’s friend, to twenty hours of compulsory labour, considering her solo picket a violation.

The parents of Kurban Dalgatov, who died after detention at the Makhachkala police station, have sent a notification about the planned rally to the Makhachkala Mayoralty. They are dissatisfied with the inquiry results and the course of the trial against 10 law enforcers.

Human rights defenders have recognized Yaroslav Sukhanov from Belorechensk, sentenced to 6.5 years of imprisonment for preparing to commit high treason, as a political prisoner. The human rights defenders pointed out that the confession which Yaroslav Sukhanov retracted in court could be obtained under pressure.

A court in Krasnodar has postponed by 2.5 months the hearing on the custody case over Maria Smelaya's child, during which time she intends to achieve meeting with her son in Grozny.

The Southern District Military Court has found a Volgograd resident guilty of extremism.

Elena Patyaeva, who was detained by law enforcers in Saint Petersburg during her solo picket demanding an inquiry into the disappearance of her friend, Seda Suleimanova, in Chechnya, has been left at the police station until the court hearing. This was reported by the human rights project "OVD-Info"*.

Marches and rallies were held on the 64th day of daily protests in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi; all the protesters’ demands included the release of all the political prisoners, including Mziya Amaglobeli. In Batumi, protesters set up tents near the building of the Constitutional Court.

Relatives are concerned about the health state of Khamid Yapov. The man served two terms of imprisonment for involvement in Chechen armed underground, but was arrested for the third time in December 2024. A human rights organization employee believes that the recent case against Khamid Yapov is part of a systemic problem of persecuting militants who surrendered in the hope of amnesty.

A court dismissed a complaint filed by journalist and economist Farid Mekhralizade, arrested in the “Abzas Media” case, about a refusal of the prosecutor’s office to recognize the fact of inhuman treatment during the detention. The defence intends to lodge an appeal against the court’s decision.

In Krasnodar, the Cassation Court has cancelled the acquittal of the police inspectors who beat disabled person Yevgeny Manchenko in 2019, and the case has been returned to the regional court for a new trial for the fourth time, the “Team Against Torture”* reports.

The investigators’ version in the case against Dagestani native Magomed Magomedov is unfounded, and some of the documents in the case have been falsified, advocates claim in their appeal. The defenders emphasized that even under torture, Magomed Magomedov had not given a confession.

The police have detained Elena Patyaeva during her solo picket held in Saint Petersburg, where she demanded an inquiry into the disappearance of Seda Suleimanova. The reason for the detention was an alleged violation of anti-Covid restrictions.

At her solo picket held in Saint Petersburg, Elena Patyaeva has stated that within 10 months the inquiry into the disappearance of her friend, Seda Suleimanova, had yielded no results.

A court in Grozny has extended the arrest of Zarema Musaeva in the case of disrupting the work of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) until February 24, 2025.