News

Supermarket workers in Grozny are intimidated by strict checks and are closely monitoring the presence of medical masks on customers, local residents report. Ramzan Kadyrov and his entourage are demonstratively ignoring the mask regime, and this noticeably annoys people, analysts note.

The Islam prohibits mutilating surgeries, unless they are done on doctor's prescription, said Zainulla-Haji Ataev, the head of the Fatwa Division under the Dagestani Muftiate. He has assured that the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM, or Muftiate) is preparing a ban on female circumcisions.

A court in Baku has refused to satisfy the petition for the conditional early relief (CER) of Orkhan Bakhyshly, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who had served half of his prison term. His defence will appeal against this decision.

Amid mass protests, the Belarusian State TV Company showed a group of detainees, who repented before law enforcers, promising "not to make a revolution." In this context, Telegram users have recalled the apologies and humiliation of the residents of Chechnya in the stories broadcast by the "Grozny" TV Channel.

Aslan Bzhaniya, President of Abkhazia, found himself in a vulnerable position in front of Moscow after his aide Akhra Avidzba had rammed a gate on the Russian border, journalists note. The diplomatic status which Akhra Avidzba referred to cannot be used for personal travels and does not give the right to violate the Russian border, lawyers explain.

In Germany, the court has reviewed a Mokhmad Abdurakhmanov's case and refused to recognize his posts on the social network as extremist.

In Saint Petersburg, Terman Alimagomedov, a former militant from Dagestan, rendered resistance while the police tried to detain him and was shot dead by a policeman. The police found firearms and ammunition in the suspect's car, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) reported.

While commenting on the information stating that people who do not have symptoms of the coronavirus infection also address an ambulance, Ramzan Kadyrov has said that residents of Chechnya should call an ambulance only in exceptional cases. People may call an ambulance not only because of the suspicion of COVID-19, Instagram users and residents of the republic note.

Dmitry Kraskovsky, a resident of Krasnodar, was detained and died after being beaten in a SIZO (pre-trial prison). According to investigators, inmates of the detainee beat him to death. A wife of the deceased detainee appealed to the "Committee against Torture" (CaT) and claimed her husband had been subjected to pressure.

The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh announced fundraising for Armenian families in Beirut, where a powerful explosion took place. The first shipment of food aid was sent to the Lebanese capital.

Slovakia declared three Russian diplomats personae non gratae and expelled them from the country. The local authorities suggest that the diplomats worked for the secret services and were involved in the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin.

In Chechnya, employees of various public institutions monitor compliance with the mask regime in shops and catering outlets, entrepreneurs report. According to them, surveillance is being conducted even from parked cars.

The court found Tural Atakishiyev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), guilty of failure to obey to a law enforcers' order and arrested him for 30 days. The activist is being prosecuted for political reasons, the PFPA suggests.

Relatives of athlete Muslim Yevloev should file a complaint with the police about a kidnapping and demand from the law enforcement bodies to report about their actions during the counterterrorist operation (CTO) held in Nazran, human rights defenders believe.

While commenting on the practice of public apologies that spread in Dagestan following Chechnya, Abdulla Salimov, Deputy Mufti of Dagestan, said that people should avoid posting thoughtless statements on social networks, since the latter can lead to public apologies.

Daniyal Alkhasov, a native of Dagestan, and Vazir Bazanaev, a resident of the republic, claimed violations of their rights in connection with their inclusion in the police prevention registration list. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" sent a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan, since in 2017, law enforcers announced the cancellation of the practice of police prevention registration.

Statements of Ramzan Kadyrov about the Alexander Lukashenko's "convincing victory" in the presidential election are controversial amid mass protests in Belarus, Instagram users claim.

262 citizens of Azerbaijan left a tent camp in Dagestan, and about 500 more people are waiting for their turn. Afig Allakhverdiev, a member of the Azerbaijanis' association, revealed a technique due to which newcomers crossed the border bypassing the people who stayed at the camp much longer.

In the village of Talghi, two workers of a stone quarry were kidnapped and beaten by law enforcers, participants of the village gathering claimed. Relatives of Djabrail Ibnukhazhirov, a resident of the Talghi village, who was arrested in November, suggest that his criminal case and the kidnappings of the local residents are related to the operation of the stone quarry.

Today, Aziz Mamiev, the deputy chairman of the youth organization of the opposition "Musavat" Party, has been detained in the city of Sabirabad.