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During the week of 15-21, 2021, no information was received about the casualties and wounded persons in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from open sources.

The "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company) has released a story, in which Adam Elzhurkaev, the head physician of the Centre for Islamic Medicine, publicly reprimanded Zura Dudaeva, a resident of Achkhoi-Martan, for practicing occultism. The woman said that she was not engaged in witchcraft; and the symbols found in her house were parts of her hobby for religion and philosophy.

The forces hostile to Armenia may benefit from the early elections, the leaders of the "National Democratic Pole" Movement have stated. The rally organized by them was attended by about a thousand people.

Ramzan Kadyrov is the only regional head who dares objecting to Dmitry Perskov, the presidential press secretary; however, the head of Chechnya overestimates his influence; next time the Kremlin will severely siege him, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

The Museum of Local Lore in the city of Shakhty, Rostov Region, is hosting an exhibition of the painter, Elena Sukhorukova, entitled "The Hippocrates' Warriors". Her 103 portraits depict doctors who died after being infected with coronavirus across Russia. Visitors to the exhibition have called these doctors heroes; some could not hold back their tears.

The opposition has announced the start of protest actions in all regions of Georgia demanding early parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners. A large-scale action is scheduled for May 15 in Tbilisi.

On the eve of Novruz, Azerbaijani authorities extended the coronavirus restrictions until June 1, and banned public transport during the holiday. This led to a decrease in the number of buyers and provoked a jump in food prices, said Eiyub Guseinov, Chairman of the Union of Free Consumers.

The Nalchik City Court has ruled to place Murad Gorbakov, a resident of Ingushetia, in custody for two months on suspicion of beating up law enforcers at a rally in Magas in March 2019.

The Armenian authorities have deliberately protracted the reform of the Electoral Code, since after its updating the influence of the administrative, financial and criminal resources on the election outcomes will be limited, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

On March 19, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that the Azerbaijani party was torturing the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) captured in 2020 during the hostilities. Episodes of cruel and degrading treatment and torture occurred both after their capture and during transporting them to detention places, and in these places, says the HRW's statement posted on March 19 on its website.

A court in Georgia found five more persons guilty within the murder case of the 19-year-old football player Giorgi Shakarashvili; one of them was sentenced to nine years in prison, four others – to five years in prison each, the Prosecutor's Office has informed.

All the seven leaders of Ingush protests, including Malsag Uzhakhov, continue their hunger strike at the SIZO (pre-trial prison). Residents of Ingushetia are holding no public actions in support of the detainees, fearing to provoke new arrests in connection with the rally in Magas, the rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The Chechen blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has commented on the testimonies of the Chechen law enforcer, Suleiman Gezmakhmaev, about torturing detainees widespread in Chechnya and Chechen authorities' reaction to the publication of the "Novaya Gazeta".

On March 19, Azerbaijan handed remains of 15 persons found in places of last autumn's hostilities over to Karabakh rescuers. The total number of bodies and remains found in the Karabakh conflict zone has reached 1518, the State Emergency Service (SES) of Nagorno-Karabakh has informed.

Apti Alaudinov, the Deputy Minister of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), personally prosecuted dissidents on trumped-up cases and intimidated critics of the authorities. In connection with the above, he has got in the republic the reputation of a cruel person, note human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

According to veterans of the special services interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", a FSB video depicting the detention of a terrorist in the capital of Adygea looks staged. A version stating that terrorists decided to choose Maikop for an explosion in a shopping centre also raises doubts, Caucasian experts point out.

The Russian authorities should study the information made public by the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" about extrajudicial killings in Chechnya and protect the newspaper's journalists from possible harassment, states Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.

Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the dismissal of Chechen Police Chief Apti Alaudinov, the "Kommersant" reports today.

The political crisis in Armenia has not only led to opposition fragmentation, but also exacerbated social and economic problems; therefore, the agreement on holding parliamentary elections was the optimal decision, the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Now, a trip to the store is much more expensive; people have to either reduce the number of purchased foodstuffs, or choose cheaper items to the detriment of their quality, the Volgograd residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert.