News

Administrative cases for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces instituted against Anna Shtrigel and Maryana Kanukoeva were brought to courts of Novorossiysk and Chegem.

Persecution of pacifists in the southern regions of Russia; sentence to initiators of a rally against epidemiological restrictions in North Ossetia; protests of Makhachkala residents against blackouts; return of Azerbaijani refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh; hunger strike of an activist in Sukhumi, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of July 18-24, 2022, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Said-Mukhammad Djumaev, a native of Chechnya, who was sentenced to five years in colony for violence against law enforcers, has filed a complaint.

At the trial of the case of former Nalchik policemen accused of torturing Alexander Knyazev and Valery Levdik, the prosecutor's office requested five and a half years in prison for each of the defendants.

The Mayoralty of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, has refused to sanction the July 26 rally in defence of the Russian Constitution and the rights of the Oirat-Kalmyk people. Semyon Ateev, an activist, has applied for holding a rally in the territory of the "Seven Days' Pagoda" Complex; the city court has approved the refusal. Semyon has treated the ban as discriminatory, pointing out that other events organized by the authorities used to take place in the territory of the complex.

After a heavy rain, residential houses located in the Lazarevsoye District of Sochi are flooded, communal services are eliminating the consequences, and officials are calculating the damage, local authorities have reported. In Sochi, flooding occurs regularly because of failed storm water drains and non-systematic city development, users of the "VKontakte" social network assert.

In Azerbaijan, journalists are subjected to physical and psychological pressure and criminal prosecution; the situation with media freedom remains critical, human rights defenders have noted in their report.

The administration of beaches in Tuapse broadcasts patriotic audio for tourists through loudspeakers in support of the militaries involved in the special operation in Ukraine, sources report. Forcing people who came to have their rest to listen to such songs is inappropriate, social network commentators have stated.

Adam Shakhidov, the advisor to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, on religious matters, has recorded a video sermon, during which he disclosed the participation of republic's residents in the special operation in Ukraine from the religious viewpoint, Ramzan Kadyrov informed on his Telegram channel.

After a rainstorm, the Muzykalny micro-district in Krasnodar was flooded, while officials and communal services gave no reaction to the calamity, local residents have complained. Other townspeople have noted, in the "VKontakte" social network, that flooding of city neighbourhoods occurs regularly because of the failed storm water draining pipelines.

In one of the kindergartens in the city of Kaspiysk, which was recently commissioned, the ceiling collapsed; and the developer explained this by a draught, according to social networks. Luckily, there were no children in the room, Instagram* and "VKontakte" users have informed.

The commander of a combat post threatened the conscript soldier to report some compromising information to his relatives, if he refuses to shot three his fellow servicemen dead, who had learned about the non-stature relations of the soldier with his commander, investigators have suggested. The conscript has been charged with murder; and the commander – with incitement to murder and sexual violence, the Armenia's Investigating Committee (IC) has informed today.

The construction of a bypass road around Lachin will remove obstacles to the return of this city and the corridor of the same name under Azerbaijan's control, analysts in Baku believe.

On July 22, in Freedom Square in Sukhumi, Djansukh Adleiba, an activist, began his hunger strike demanding lower fuel prices and to prevent the transfer of Abkhaz lands to Russia. Vadim Markholiya, a veteran of the 1992 war, has joined the protest action.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has obliged Russia to pay 1000 euros to Ingush activist, Bagaudin Myakiev, for his illegal custody. This gives hope for similar ECtHR's decisions in favour of other people arrested within the case of the rally in Magas in March 2019, Myakiev himself has informed.

The NGO “Transparency International Georgia” states that the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia should check the information of Soso Gogashvili, the former deputy chief of the State Security Service, who claims that law enforcers were urging voters to give their voices for the ruling party in exchange for mitigation or cancellation of punishments.

Aziz Mamiev, a member of the board of the youth organization of the “Musavat” Party, complained about the use of force during his detention.

Alimpasha Amaev, a 77-year-old resident of Germany, complained that it took nine years for investigators to bring to court a case on torture he had been subjected to by law enforcers in Khasavyurt in 2006. The case of another native of Dagestan, who was tortured together with Alimpasha Amaev, remains not investigated, Vladimir Osechkin, the head of the “Gulagu.net” reports today.

Today, about 400 residents of the Aknalich village in the Armavir Region of Armenia have blocked the Yerevan-Armavir motor way in protest against regular power and water cuts. The protesters refused the police demand to unblock the road, after which a clash broke out between them and the law enforcers.

Apti Alaudinov, an assistant to the head of Chechnya for the power bloc, who was earlier dismissed by Putin from the post of the head of the Chechen police, now heads the regional Security Council. Alaudinov, while being in command of the "Akhmat" special unit, "proved himself well" in the military operation in Ukraine, Ramzan Kadyrov has explained.