News

16 Georgian NGOs criticized reporters of the "Mtavari Arkhi" TV Channel for discussing the intimate life of deceased programmer Tamar Bachaliashvili.

Activist Salim Khalitov held a solo picket and demanded from the authorities of Dagestan to respond to the obstacles to activists of the "Alliance of Doctors" trade union from the administration of the Republican Orthopaedics and Traumatology Centre.

On August 10, parents of activists from the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), arrested in connection with an action in support of the army in Baku, gathered in front of the General Prosecutor's Office. They claimed their sons were not guilty. According to the spokesman of the General Prosecutor's Office, an unbiased investigation will be conducted.

On August 10, all the activists who were detained during a protest action in support of Jermuk residents were released. Law enforcers drew up protocols against the detainees for failure to obeying a police order. The activists accused the law enforcers of bias, since the police did not stop actions held by supporters of the Amulsar field exploitation.

In the Chechen capital, law enforcers held raids in restaurants to check if visitors were wearing masks. The requirement not to enter a cafe without a mask provoked critical comments on Instagram.

Vladimir Gasparyan, the former chief of the Armenian Police, interfered with the activities of journalists of the "Azatutyun" Radio when they were filming a report on the illegal construction on the banks of Sevan Lake. Reporters from ten journalistic associations called for bringing Vladimir Gasparyan to justice.

In the Caucasus, insults expressed to a person personally and voiced in front of his image are equally acute. However, in the case of the teenagers who insulted Khabib Nurmagomedov, it would be better for the athlete's reputation not to react to them, Caucasus experts note.

Ramzan Kadyrov, who declared 147.9 million roubles of income in 2019, distinguished himself among the leaders of other regions, whose official incomes usually did not exceed several million roubles. Economists suggest that the actual income of the Chechen leader is difficult to assess, but it is much higher than the declared one.

Family members of Azerbaijani writer Rafiq Tagi appealed to President Ilham Aliev and General Prosecutor Kyamran Aliev with a request to resume the investigation into the writer's murder. According to the Rafiq Tagi's family members, the investigation was superficial and did not even identify any suspects.

More than 1500 soldiers and officers took part in the military exercises held in the Shali District of Chechnya, with taking advantage of the military experience gained in the Middle East. Motorized rifle exercises were also held in Dagestan, North Ossetia, and the Stavropol Territory.

About 20 activists gathered in front of the building of the Armenian parliament to support residents of Jermuk on protest against the development of the Amulsar mine. Half of the protesters were detained.

The "Grozny" TV Channel released a report about Ramzan Kadyrov meeting bloggers. At a meeting with a group of bloggers, Ramzan Kadyrov wore no mask, like his guests. The leader of Chechnya ignores the requirement compulsory for residents of the republic, Instagram users note.

In the Shelkovsky District of Chechnya, public sector employees complained that participants of a large-scale subbotnik (voluntary clean-up work day) on the border with Dagestan were obliged to wear masks and keep social distancing.

After a special operation conducted in Ingushetia in July, analysts have noted that nothing but the number of prevented crimes can testify to the effectiveness of the law enforcement bodies' activities. According to the analysts, numerous special operations are a way to put pressure on the society which does not trust the law enforcement bodies.

Spread of the coronavirus infection in the Caucasus; CTO in Ingushetia; start of the tourist season in Abkhazia; protests of Armenian residents against gold mining at Amulsar deposit; mass apologies voiced in public by Chechens returned from Moscow to Grozny, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of August 3-9, 2020, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

In the week on August 3-9, 2020, at least 2 persons were killed in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. No wounded were reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The positions of the Azerbaijani troops were 35 times shelled over 24 hours, and villages located in the regions bordering on Armenia came under fire, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan reported.

In Dagestan, the administration of the Shamilkala hospital reprimanded ten medical workers who took part in an action to protest against the reorganization of the hospital.

Akhra Avidzba, the aide to the President of Abkhazia, who rammed a gate at a border checkpoint in the Russian Federation, explained that he had to do that after waiting for many hours at the border.

The distribution of meat of sacrificial animals to residents of Mecca is in line with Islam and Muslim tradition, Islamic scholars explain. According to them, the local media did not cover the charitable action held in Saudi Arabia by the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation.