All news

An assassination attack on blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov is being actively discussed by members of the Chechen Diaspora. The authorities of Chechnya managed to spread an atmosphere of fear among Chechens in Europe, human rights defender Sasha Kulaeva notes.

Shaziya Nukh, an 88-year-old repatriate, who arrived in Nalchik from Syria, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to grant her Russian citizenship. Knowledge of one of the Russian languages, advanced age, and health state of the repatriate should become determining factors to grant her Russian citizenship under accelerated procedures, believes a human rights defender.

Some of Baku residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" expressed their concern over the threat of the coronavirus decease entering the country, and the booming demand for protective equipment provoked a shortage of medical masks.

Zviad Kuprava, the head of the "Centre for Law Enforcement Reform", who was beaten at his home in Tbilisi on February 27, was hospitalized with injuries. The activist associated the attack on him with his political activities.

In two villages of Chechnya, young people were detained, who put "Likes" to the videos posted by Tumso Abdurakhmanov, local residents report. The police have not confirmed this information.

Residents of the regions of Abkhazia bordering on Georgia claim the absence of earning money, if the authorities finally close the border with Georgia because of the coronavirus. Many will have to move to live in Georgia, they have noted.

The court has excluded any political motives from the case of Rashid Aushev, a participant of the March last year rally in Magas, and sentenced him to one year and 9 months in colony. His advocate treats the judgement as politically motivated.

Ramzan Kadyrov and his close associates openly have pronounced threats addressed to critics of Chechen authorities, rights defenders and residents of Chechnya have reminded in connection with the recent attempt on the blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has obliged the Azerbaijani authorities to pay compensation to Khadija Ismayilova for her moral harm caused by keeping her in custody. The ECtHR has found that she had been persecuted for her investigative journalism about corruption in the Azerbaijani government.

The intolerance level towards sexual minorities in Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) is lower than in Northern Caucasus as a whole, but domestic homophobia is widespread in the republic, LGBT activists said amid the bullying of Shamil Malkanduev, a transgender singer.

Mamed Ibragim, an advisor to the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was arrested on the charge of disobedience to the police. Members of the PFPA treat the activist's arrest as politically motivated.

Blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov is deprived of communication means in a hospital, his brother reports. He says that Tumso Abdurakhmanov has got minor injuries, while his attacker stays in severe condition.

An assassination attempt on Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who criticizes the Chechen authorities, took place after Ramzan Kadyrov had called on to reprisals against opponents of the Chechen authorities. The law enforcement bodies refused to verify the Ramzan Kadyrov's statement, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" stated.

The South-Ossetian and Abkhaz authorities completely stopped communication with Georgia, where the first case of coronavirus had been detected.

The NGO "Human Rights Monitoring and Training Centre" has criticized the inquiry conducted by the Prosecutor' Office (PO) into the murder of Temirlan Machalikashvili. Investigators should not rely solely on testimonies of a special troop fighter, who shot Temirlan dead. Besides, these testimonies contradict to the examination outcomes, which should have become the basis for suspicions, human rights defenders believe.

The ward, where Tumso Abdurakhmanov, wounded during the attack on him, is treated, is guarded by policemen, said Tumso's brother, adding that before the attack Tumso received threats.

Chechnya could become a place where Makhi Idrisov, who escaped from house arrest in Makhachkala, is hiding, said Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender. Earlier, suspects of involvement in high-profile crimes and put on the wanted list had already hid in Chechnya. At least in one case, an attempt to detain such person triggered threats from Kadyrov to open fire at law enforcers from other regions.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of South Ossetia intends to continue raids and seize medicines with Georgian inscriptions from pharmacies. Patients used to order foreign drugs via Georgia, now they will have to do this via North Ossetia, a local pharmacist has explained.

The report with sons' apologies for rendering occult services by their parents has emphasized the exclusivity of Chechnya and reminded about Soviet practices of bringing up young people, in which the authority of power bodies competed with the parents' authority, analysts have noted.

The well-known Chechen blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has been hospitalized after an attack by a man who penetrated into his apartment.