News

More than 400 out of approximately 3000 cultural monuments located in the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh that passed under Azerbaijan's control, have been destroyed; and many historical artefacts have been taken to Armenia, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has stated.

The son of the head of Chechnya has defeated his opponent in a boxing fight by technical knockout. Social network users find the victory strange and accompany the video thereof by ironic comments.

Twelve OSCE countries have demanded from Russia to fulfil the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which has found Russia involved in human rights violations committed in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, despite its interest in fulfilling the ECtHR's decision on the 2008 war, Georgia, will refrain from imposing sanctions against Russia, Georgian political analysts believe.

Russia called on the United Nations to take part in demining the territories involved in the Karabakh conflict, but received no response, Sergey Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, has stated.

On April 16, on the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Nagorno-Karabakh, a rally was held near the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos in Stepanakert, where the participants called on the international community to take practical measures to prevent the destruction of Armenian historical monuments located in the territories occupied by Azerbaijan, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Members of the Canadian Alberta Provincial Legislature have adopted a resolution in which they recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey.

Azerbaijan has put an end to Karabakh conflict without any involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group; and an attempt to resume its work in Nagorno-Karabakh is caused by the West-Russia rivalry, after the latter has deployed its peacemakers in the region, the Azeri analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have suggested.

A group of activists has announced a collection of funds to release the opposition leader, Giorgi Mumladze, on bail; he was arrested after a protest held at the office of the "Georgian Dream" Party in Tbilisi.

In Nagorno-Karabakh, military engineers have cleared fields and vineyards from unexploded ordnances. In total, 2000 hectares have been demined during the peacemaking mission, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reported.

The audio record, in which an official from the healthcare system demands from medical workers of the kindergartens of the Nadterechny District to ensure their employees' visiting the polyclinic for vaccinations and accompanies his order with threats of dismissal, reflects an atmosphere of intimidation that has formed in Chechnya, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The rescuer who has blown up himself by a mine while searching for the bodies of those killed in the places of hostilities in the Karabakh conflict zone has been operated on and is in the intensive care unit.

Two residents of Stavropol Territory are accused of abducting a woman from the city of Neftekumsk with the aim of her marriage and kept her by force in a private house in a neighbouring city. The case has been sent to court, the territorial prosecutor's office has informed.

The charges brought against Eldar Gasanov are unconvincing; the real reason for his arrest was the active work to build up his political influence, the rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The residents of the Baku dwelling settlement of Turkan, who had been declared dead, are seeking the return of the land plots, as well as the release of the local resident who tried to help them solve the problem, the "Meydan.TV" has reported.

Oleg Prikhodko, a pro-Ukrainian activist, recognized as a political prisoner, is kept at the Rostov-on-Don SIZO (pre-trial prison) and needs urgent medical care, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* has reported.

The law enforcement bodies have detained an armed man who has taken hostages today at a branch of the Bank of Georgia in Tbilisi. None of the hostages is injured.

Ibragim Gadjiev, a witness in a case against Ashikov brothers, filed a lawsuit to the Sovetsky District Court of Makhachkala. Ibragim Gadjiev requested the Court to declare unjustified the actions of law enforcers during a search in his house. The man also requested compensation for moral damage in the amount of one million roubles to be collected from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The Zheleznovodsk City Court recognized Tagir Galaev as a participant of an attack on law enforcers in the course of a rally in Magas and sentenced him to seven months of imprisonment. At the same time, taking into account the period of time spent by Tagir Galaev in custody, the Court pronounced a decision to release the defendant at the courtroom, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* reports today.

Today, residents of the Margaovit village have come to a street protest against mining developments. The protestors suggest that the operation of a copper mine will worsen the environmental situation in the Lori Region.

In Makhachkala, policemen have begun investigating a criminal case of an attack on Ruslan Ablyakimov, an activist from the local Alexei Navalny's office, who himself said it today.