News

Five residents of Kabardino-Balkaria were involved in the activities of the “Islamic State” (IS, a terrorist organization, banned in Russia by the court, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”).

Nikol Pashinyan did not have a chance to refuse to send Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) troops to Kazakhstan, but the participation of the Armenian military forces in the peacekeeping mission will worsen the Armenia’s relations with Western countries and may lead to the Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO due to the confrontation between Russia and the West, political analysts suggest.

In Makhachkala, a court closed a case against activist Salim Khalitov after finding the accusation of disobedience to the police unfounded. The defence announced filing a complaint against policemen and intends to demand compensation for the arrest of Salim Khalitov.

A new round of armed conflict on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border began amid the entry of peacemakers into Kazakhstan; and Armenian authorities are looking for a pretext for deploying CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) forces in the border conflict zone, Azerbaijani political analysts believe.

In Azerbaijan, Ibishbeili Fikret Faramaz oglu, the head of the jamaz.info website, has been fined by 500 manats (USD 300), at the request of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), for publishing the information that should not be distributed on the Internet.

A court in Baku has sentenced Ali Aliev, the chairman of the oppositional "Citizens and Development" Party, to five months in prison after finding him guilty of defamation under a lawsuit filed by Emil Djafarov, a border guard. The defence treats the verdict as a political order.

A resident of Armenia, who got lost today near the Azerbaijani border, has been handed over to Russian peacemakers, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed.

A son of Akhmed Barakhoev, an activist convicted of extremism after the rally in Magas, has demanded that from the head of Chechnya to admit his statements as "unnecessary." After Ilez Barakhoev's statement, Kadyrov contacted him and they had a "respectful conversation," the activist's son has informed.

At mass gatherings held in mosques of Chechnya, officials and clergymen have condemned "provocateurs" from Ingushetia, demanding from them to stop insulting Chechens. A series of apologies amid Kadyrov's ultimatum to Ingushes have aggravated the conflict of residents of the two republics, journalists have noted.

Yakhya Khadziev, a former Ingush official, apologized to fellows from his teip (family clan) for his warm meeting with Ramzan Kadyrov. Shortly after that he apologized to the leader of Chechnya, and the analysts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” believe it is unlikely that Yakhya Khadziev has apologized under pressure.

The trial against oppositionist Shakhin Gadjiev, accused of drug trafficking, began in the Ganja City Court on Grave Crimes. Shakhin Gadjiev pleaded not guilty and complained about torture.

People continue to die because of the hostilities on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the activities of Russian peacekeepers look ineffective amid deaths of people. Activists and human rights defenders demanded to deploy international military forces on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In the course of searching works in Matagis, the remains of another soldier were found, the Nagorno-Karabakh Emergency Service has informed.

The military servicemen, who mocked at the monument in a military unit in the Krasnodar Territory, did not realize what they were doing, Muslim Magomadov, a member of the Council for Interethnic Relations under the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, has stated and apologized for them.

The videos that show relatives of the activists and bloggers who oppose Chechen authorities, only allows judging that they are alive, but doesn't at all mean that they are at large, Oleg Orlov, a human rights defender, has pointed out. Tumso Aburakhmanov, a blogger, has confirmed that in this video one of his relatives is being held hostage.

The removal of Armenian militaries from Kazakhstan and their short presence there are beneficial for Nikol Pashinyan, but they won't add to his popularity, Armen Vardanyan believes. The West has influenced the prompt withdrawal of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) troops, but Armenia's reputation has still suffered, Ovsep Khurshudyan has stated.

Kadyrov's supporters have voiced out new threats against residents of Ingushetia after the former Ingush official repented to his fellow countrymen for his warm communication with the head of Chechnya. Ramzan Kadyrov has become non-hands-shaking for entire Ingush teips (family clams) since he initiated a revision of the border between the republics, analysts assert.

After the threats to authors of statements that Chechen authorities had illegally taken away the Ingush territories, Ramzan Kadyrov demanded from Ingush people to voice all the claims against him within three days.

At the village gathering, relatives of a Katar-Yurt villager have apologized for his words that the preconditions for normal life in Chechnya are wealth or a blowen mother; and the man himself was expelled from the village.

Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov, who continues his hunger strike in prison, is being subjected to moral and psychological pressure, his spouse says. International journalistic organizations call for the release of the imprisoned journalist.