News

Since the end of the war in the autumn of 2020, 73 people, including 24 killed, fell victim to mine explosions in the territories of Karabakh that came under the control of Azerbaijan. Most of the mine explosions occurred when people illegally entered the areas not cleared of mines, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action reported.

The Russia's Supreme Court (SC) has found gross violations at the consideration of the cases of the residents of Dagestan killed in Chechnya. Already after the death of eight young people, they were accused of law enforcers' attempted murders. The SC has returned the case to Grozny for a new trial. Casualties' relatives demand that the case be considered outside Chechnya.

During some repair and construction works in the Djebrail District, a local civilian was wounded by a mine explosion.

The Moscow City Court has refused to summon the prosecution experts to the session and to admit the public and journalists to the trial. It was decided to continue the preliminary hearing on the case of liquidating the "Memorial"* on December 16.

Journalists in Makhachkala have held pickets demanding to stop the criminal prosecution of their colleague, Abdulmumin Gadjiev, to release political prisoners and stop arresting people without proofs.

Despite the assurances voiced by the authorities, the application of the law on foreign agents led to a violation of constitutional rights and discrimination against NCOs and media, authors of the report released by the “OVD-Info” conclude.

A textbook about Akhmat Kadyrov has been included in the school curriculum in Chechnya. The book is written by a local law enforcer and tells about the life of the elder Kadyrov, the “Grozny” TV Channel reports. Blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov compared the Akhmat Kadyrov’s personality cult to the Lenin’s personality cult during the Soviet era.

Activist Salekh Rustamov, who has been on hunger strike for the 25th day in a prison hospital, complains about joint pain and plans to refuse water. According to doctors, the refusal of water can provoke a coma. When answering the prisoner’s requests to help him, the Russian diplomatic mission noted that Salekh Rustamov had received Russian citizenship without refusing the citizenship of Azerbaijan.

Special operation in Karachay-Cherkessia; negotiations between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi; start of proceedings on the lawsuit for the liquidation of the “International Memorial”*; protests in Southern Russia against the introduction of QR codes; Kadyrov’s new threats against Ingushetia and the exercises of the Chechen law enforcement bodies near the border, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of November 22-28, 2021, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

During the week of November 22-28, 2021, during the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, at least two people perished; no information about the wounded ones was reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from open sources.

The petition demanding to prevent the closure of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the "International Memorial" has already gathered 115,158 signatures.

Shakhin Gadjiev, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), has been detained on suspicion of illegal drug circulation. His party colleagues believe that Gadjiev is persecuted for his political activities.

The Russian State Duma MPs should use their right to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into reports prisoners' torture, including natives of the Caucasus, practised at the Saratov prison hospital, Dagestani lawyers have stated.

On the 23rd day of his hunger strike, Salekh Rustamov cannot move and is extremely weak, his brother said. Doctors of the prison hospital treat his health condition as grave and warn that if Salekh continues refusing to drink water, his life is in danger.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled to apply security measures in relation of four Armenian soldiers who were taken prisoners of war (POWs) by Azerbaijan during the November 16 border clashes.

The participants of the rally organized by the "Liberation Movement" have called for the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister, and Armen Sarkisyan, the President, in order to prevent the delimitation of the border with Azerbaijan, which is unfavourable for Armenia.

The meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia with the President of Azerbaijan in Sochi with the participation of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, will entail no important consequences, but it has prepared a platform for further dialogue, Armenian analysts believe. The vector laid down in Sochi corresponds to the plans of Azerbaijani authorities; and the main result of the talks will be the acceleration of unblocking communications in Karabakh, their Azerbaijani colleagues have noted.

By means of the statement by Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, about the need for progress in relations with Russia, Georgian authorities are trying to make it clear to the West that they are independent in shaping their politics. But in reality, Georgia has no discussion topics with Russia, except for the issue of returning the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Georgian analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

In the vicinity of Varanda, Karabakh rescuers have found remains of a military serviceman, bringing the total number of bodies and remains of Armenian militaries and civilians found in the Karabakh conflict zone to 1702.

Law enforcers have cancelled the administrative protocol on Vladislav Zhironkin, who was collecting signatures of Sochi residents against the QR code system, the activist himself has informed.