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On May 15, the Georgian President, Salome Zurabishvili, signed a decree pardoning two convicted leaders of oppositional parties – Irakli Okruashvili, the founder of the "Victorious Georgia" Party, and Giorgi Ugulava, the Secretary General of the "European Georgia" Party. The president's decree was the best option, in which the opposition's demands were fulfilled, while the ruling party has "retained its image", the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

During the last 24 hours, Azerbaijan revealed 101 new cases of coronavirus infection; one patient died. Since May 18, the country's government will cancel the permissive system of leaving home; the catering facilities, museums and exhibition halls will reopen.

The claims voiced out by doctors of the Gudermes Central District Hospital (CDH) during their protest are addressed to the federal centre, Professor Alexei Malashenko believes. Doctors announced their problems not fearing the measures applied in Chechnya to intimidate critics of the authorities, said Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender.

Law enforcers institute the third criminal case against Vadim Cheldiev, an initiator of the protests in North Ossetia. The criminal case has been instituted under the article on extremism. Vadim Cheldiev is included in the list of extremists compiled by the "Rosfinmonitoring" (the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring).

In the area of a special operation under way in the Sunzha District, unidentified people opened fire on lanterns and sawed a tree revered by a community of Batal-Khadji followers, a source reported. For a long time, there are no militant units in Ingushetia, Instagram users said after law enforcers had started the special operation.

In Gudermes, the chief doctor of the Central District Hospital failed to understand his staff and explain to his subordinates that the hospital was only preparing to receive patients diagnosed with the coronavirus infection, so the staff did not need protective gear, said Magomed Daudov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament.

Following a decision pronounced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the government of Azerbaijan has recognized a violation of the freelance journalist Sevindj Vagifgyzy's right to freedom of movement and pledged to pay the journalist the compensation in the amount of 5000 euros.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteurs for monitoring in Azerbaijan expressed their concern over the increased prosecution of critics of the authorities in the country. The PACE rapporteurs warned the authorities of Azerbaijan to "refrain from any abuse of measures intended to fight the coronavirus pandemic to muzzle political opposition."

Amid the epidemic height, the party of the new president, Araik Arutyunyan, has held an expanded sitting, by gathering more than three hundred people indoors without protective means, members of the oppositional movements of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) have stated.

The Gudermes Central District Hospital (CDH), whose employees have protested against their working conditions, is now headed by Shahid Akhmadov, a former Chechen Minister of Public Health.

Since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the All-Russian hotline for Muslims has been rendering psychological, legal, social and spiritual support to those in need, the organizers inform.

After the information about the re-profiling the wards of the Gudermes District Hospital in Chechnya into the hospital for coronavirus patients, audio and video appeals appeared in social networks posted by the hospital medical staff with complaints about the absence of protective means, which they have to buy for their own money. This is reported in the today's article "Thus Scary Picture" published by the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper.

Five natives of the village of Andirei, who are planning armed attacks, are being searched by Chechen law enforcers, the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has announced. Law enforcers have tightened control on the border with Dagestan.

The appeal of Elkhan Suleimanov, the Chechen Minister of Public Health, to tighten the self-isolation regime has found no support among residents of the republic.

Under Stalin, nations of the Caucasus were repressed; and perpetuating his name on a mountainside in the Akhtynsky district of Dagestan is inappropriate, Instagram users have written under the video, in which men have whitewashed the stone inscription "Stalin".

This year, the amount of alms to be given out by believers will amount to 100 roubles, and the amount of redemptive fee for violation of the fasting during the month of Ramadan will be 50 roubles, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Chechnya announces. Residents of the republic expressed their concern about the uncertainty of the celebration of the Eid al-Fitr holiday amid the quarantine.

For the first time, a person placed to a psychiatric hospital was included in the list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. In total, 155 surnames are included in the updated list prepared by the human rights defenders of the "Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan".

In Ingushetia, law enforcers are combing forests in the Sunzha District in a search for a group of militants led by Aslan Byutukaev, considered to be the organizer of the attack on Grozny in 2014, sources report.

An appeal of the Dagestani Muftiate to celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Fitr at home because of the difficult situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection in the region is aimed for the good, users of Instagram note. In their comments, some users write that they will celebrate the holiday despite the epidemic.

Dagestan officials were not properly prepared for the spread of coronavirus and failed to convince people of its danger in time, the heads of local editions have commented on local authorities' statistics on COVID-19 and viral pneumonia incidence, voiced out by the authorities.