News

After checking a complaint about the detention of Seda Suleimanova by Chechen law enforcers, the prosecutor’s office announced that the young woman voluntarily left for Chechnya from Saint Petersburg, human rights defenders reported.

New old president, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, rumours about killings in Chechnya, 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 5-11, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

A female resident of the village of Zelenchukskaya, who attended gatherings of Jehovah’s Witnesses*, is suspected of participating in the activities of the extremist organization, investigators report.

Chechen authorities should hold explanatory talks with fashion models and girls in tight clothes, social network users have stated after the Minister, Isa Ibragimov, reprimanded six bloggers for their "cheekiness" and called on young people to avoid indecent behaviour.

Nikita Zhuravel, a Volgograd resident, has stated at his trial in Grozny that he had burned the Koran down in hopes of receiving a monetary reward.

The spread of the practice of public repentances beyond Chechnya is associated with the growing influence of Ramzan Kadyrov, analysts have suggested in their comments to the video of three people apologizing for the beating up a special military operation (SMO) fighter in Nevinnomyssk. The state is more loyal to SMO fighters, but in criminal cases this status gives no advantages, a lawyer has pointed out.

The two girls from Krasnodar, who were subject to administrative protocols for LGBT* propaganda after a video with their kiss, have apologized, trying to reduce the negative consequences, lawyers have noted.

The Ombudsperson's office has the legal right to demand from Chechen police to check information about the beating of Nikita Zhuravel; and the Ombudsperson's statement about the impossibility of doing this is explained by his reluctance to enter into confrontation with Ramzan Kadyrov, lawyers believe.

The coaches of Chechen sports clubs have received a million roubles each; the athletes were awarded 500,000 roubles each; and the coach of the "Akhmat" Fighting Club was also presented with a car. This was reported by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who added that the coaches and athletes were encouraged at the expense of the Kadyrov Fund.

A court in Adygea has placed in custody a local resident who, according to investigators, failed to show up for military service after his vacation.

Free legal aid organizations "Patient's Monitor" and "ZhKKh (Housing and Communal Services) Monitor" were forced to close their offices in Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) due to lack of funds; their work continues in Dagestan.

Three participants in a mass brawl in Nevinnomyssk have apologized to the participant in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, who was beaten up in a bar, and to "the entire city." The attackers have been arrested, and a case of hooliganism is being investigated.

Vladimir Putin has awarded Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, the Order of Merit for Fatherland, Degree II, emphasizing his "great contribution to statehood strengthening."

The Vladikavkaz Garrison Military Court has sentenced Marat Khabalov to 5.5 years in penal colony for his two-month absence from his military unit. His defence has challenged the verdict.

Relatives of Zelimkhan Tsuroev, accused of publicly justifying terrorism, have asked him not to let his family down, but to return home and surrender to law enforcers. Tsuroev, who was under recognizance not to leave the place, testified during the investigation about the wanted men, Amirkhan Gurazhev and Adam Ozdoev and after a while ran away from home, a Telegram channel associated with law enforcers has informed.

Investigators and court did not conduct an examination of the jewellery items seized from the convicts, did not establish the amount of damage, and all the defendants in the criminal case were defended by one lawyer, claimed an advocate of human rights defender Igor Nagavkin, convicted of stealing the jewellery.

The Ministry for Public Health and the Medical University of Dagestan organized retraining courses for refugees from Palestine who decided to work for the republic’s healthcare system. The “Insan” charitable foundation has announced its willingness to pay for the above retraining.

The long absence of information about the fate of Seda Suleimanova, who was taken to Chechnya, does not give reason to believe that she was killed, experts point out. They explain that “honour killings” are not committed for lack of religiosity, and relatives could just isolate the young woman from the world.

The first court hearing of the case of repeated discrediting the Russian Army initiated against Oleg Orlov*, a co-chair of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"**, is scheduled for February 16 at the Golovinsky District Court of Moscow.

A court has obliged the police to pay 400,000 roubles in compensation to Temirkhan Amakhanov, a resident of Derbent, who had to have his spleen removed after being beaten up by law enforcers. Amakhanov claimed five million roubles as compensation for his moral harm; now, he intends to challenge the above sum, the "Travmunkt" legal assistance project has informed in its Telegram channel.