News

The details of the extrajudicial killings in Chechnya made public by Suleiman Gezmakhmaev give grounds to cancel the decision to refuse to institute a criminal case on the killings of 27 people, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* announces today. The human rights defenders request the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) to study the testimony of the former Chechen law enforcer and question his colleagues.

Relatives of the prisoners of war (POWs) and soldiers missed in action during the autumn war in the Nagorno-Karabakh gathered in front of the building of the government and the residence of the President of Armenia. Participants of the protest action near the government building are seeking a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the presence of the media.

Change of the leader in North Ossetia; films about residents of Southern Russia and Southern Caucasus at the “Artdocfest” documentary film festival; Nikol Pashinyan’s meeting with Vladimir Putin and protests in connection with the failed attempt to return home Armenian prisoners of war, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of April 5-11, 2021, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The operation mode of police checkpoints near the village of Sarushen has been strengthened after two civilians were shelled from the Azerbaijani side, the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported, promising to notify the peacemakers about the incident.

During the week of April 5-11, 2021, during the ongoing armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, no information about any casualties or wounded persons was reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Law enforcers have banned setting up tents by protesters against the construction of the Namakhvan hydroelectric power plant (HPP), arguing that the Rioni River is overflowing its banks.

After deportation from France, Magomed Gadaev was handed over to Chechen law enforcers, who took him to Chechnya in connection with a criminal case on storing weapons, Oleg Orlov, a human rights defender, has informed.

An Alexei Navalny's office has been launched in the capital of Dagestan; it is coordinated by Eduard Ataev, a local activist.

French authorities have handed Lezi Artsuev, a native of Chechnya, over to Russia, after which he disappeared, Elena Milashina, a journalist, has reported. According to sources, after deportation, Artsuev was taken to the city of Gudermes.

A court in Dagestan began considering a criminal case against Murad Mirzakhanov, a resident of Makhachkala, accused of keeping weapons and drugs. His defence and relatives assert that the illegal objects found on him had been planted; and psychological and physical violence was used against Mirzakhanov, as a result of which he has incriminated himself.

The Gadrut-Djebrail-Shukyurbeili highway will pass through 20 dwelling settlements of Nagorno-Karabakh that have passed under Azerbaijan's control.

Participants of the action in Stepanakert held on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the massacre of residents of the village of Maraga have called on the international community to assess the actions of Azerbaijani militaries. Former Maraga villagers told that as a result of the conflict escalation in 2020, they again became forced migrants.

Vakha Kagermanov from the village of Goity has recorded a video in which he admitted that his statement that those who refused from vaccination against coronavirus would be deprived of their pensions was a lie. Instagram users expressed compassion with the man.

The residents of Azerbaijan, Zamir Akhmedov and Zamig Farzaliev, have penetrated into the territory of the Fizuli District to collect non-ferrous scrap metals. While trying to escape from law enforcers in a car, the driver ran into a policeman and two militaries, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has informed.

Many Azerbaijani prisons are overcrowded; most of them fail to meet modern standards; the food is bad; and inmates have to pay for everything that is due to them by the law. The use of torture against convicts also remains an urgent problem, human rights defenders assert.

Magomed Gadaev, a refugee from Chechnya deported from France, who was kept at the airport after arriving in Moscow, was set free. This was announced by Igor Kalyapin, the chairman of the Committee against Torture (CaT).

The viewpoint of Chechen people is not presented in the documentary "Border" by Maryana Kalmykova about the protests of Ingush residents against the border agreement with Chechnya. Khava Khazbieva, the film producer, has explained that the authors tried to show the depth of people's experiences and what has changed in their lives.

The search for a native of Chechnya, deported from Germany and handed over to Chechen law enforcers has yielded no results yet, but human rights defenders continue searching for him, Oleg Orlov has stated. As a rule, a kidnapped person is forced to confess by means of threats and violence, and only after that relatives can learn about his fate, Magomed Alamov said.

Magomed Gadaev, a native of Chechnya, deported from France, was left in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport; he was not released by FSB agents, who intend to send him to Chechnya. Gadaev claims that he'll face torture and murder in his homeland.

In Georgia, April 10 will be a day of mourning in memory of four residents of Abkhazia who drowned while crossing the Inguri River, the Prime Minister of the country has ordered. Georgian police and Abkhazian law enforcers have launched an inquiry into the circumstances of people's death.