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Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has condemned the conviction of Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies (EMDC), to 5.5 years in prison. In this context, Mr Lenarčič has expressed his concern about the state of things with fundamental rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan.

In Abkhazia, the media disseminated the statement made by President Alexander Ankvab, where he claims that he is in the republic. He states that he treats the incident of the last night as an attempt of a coup d'etat and that he refutes the information about resignation of the government, the General Prosecutor and the heads of two districts.

Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the leader of Ingushetia, has warned parents and relatives of members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) that they will be punished in case if they do not persuade their children on the wanted list to surrender. Meanwhile, Ingush President has promised that all militants who come to surrender will be sentenced to minimum penalties.

In Volgograd, parents of pupils of primary schools-kindergartens of compensating type for children with visual impairment No. 2 and No. 8 are concerned about the planned closure of the educational institutions. According to the parents, the closure of the above educational institutions will infringe the rights of their children.

In Azerbaijan, upon the expiration of his administrative arrest, Orkhan Eyubzade, an activist of the "Musavat" Party, was brought to criminal responsibility. The activist is accused of using violence against the police.

On May 26, the Adler District Court of Sochi found Sergey Kuznetsov, a former inspector of the patrol-and-post service (known as PPS), guilty of beating Pavel Solovyov, a builder at Olympic facilities. The Court has sentenced Sergey Kuznetsov to 3.5 years of imprisonment and obliged him to pay a fine. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Khalid Bagirov, an advocate of Abdula Abilov, a creator of the "Stop toadies!" Facebook group, who had been sentenced in Azerbaijan to 5.5 years of imprisonment on charges of drug trafficking, announces the intention to file an appeal against the verdict.

In Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a few thousand people took part in the anti-government rally demanding resignation of President Alexander Ankvab. After the rally, some of them started storming the building of the presidential administration.

Today, Ukrainian border guards have registered a breakthrough of armed men in cars from the Rostov Region into Ukraine. Local patrol opened a fight with them, as a result, one person was wounded, the State Frontier Service of Ukraine has reported.

Hospitals of the city of Donetsk (Ukraine) are treating 43 persons who suffered in the course of the antiterrorist operation (ATO), including eight Russian citizens permanently residing in the cities of Grozny, Gudermes and Moscow, said the Mayor of Donetsk Alexander Lukyanchenko at a press conference held on May 27.

At the session of the Kizilyurt District Court, the defendant Kasum Magomedov, accused of murdering his niece, has partially admitted his guilt, saying that he had committed the crime in the heat of passion. Under petition of the defence, the court has appointed his psychological and psychiatric examination.

Today, at the Moscow City Court (MCC), the advocates of the figurants in the murder case of Anna Politkovskaya, an observer of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, have demanded to quash the guilty verdict handed down by the jurors on May 20, dissolve the jury and send the case for retrial.

The Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan has challenged the verdict passed to seven members of the "Southern" grouping of militants, who had surrendered under the guarantee of the Adaptation Commission of militants. The Prosecutor's Office treats the verdict pronounced by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan as too lenient.

In Georgia, activists have collected 15,000 signatures under the demand to adopt amendments to the anti-discrimination law and to adopt a new law prohibiting propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation. This has been announced today by Mikhail Andguladze, a member of the Society of Noble Families.

Azerbaijani court has sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment Abdula Abilov, a founder of the "Stop toadies!" Facebook group, who was accused of drug trafficking. Abdula Abilov has pleaded not guilty. He has claimed being prosecuted for political reasons.

On May 24, the authorities of Ingushetia have called on Ingush residents, who were rendering assistance to militants in Sagopshi, to voluntarily come to the law enforcement agencies within the three-day term. However, the Ingush residents did not respond to the authorities' call. This was reported by Alikhan Kuzgov, Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Ingushetia.

On May 26, Aslan Natov, a resident of the city of Baksan of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), who was detained during the special operation, was arrested by the decision of the Baksan City Court. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Ruslan Natov, the brother of the arrested man.

The court of general jurisdiction of first instance of the administrative districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeitun has dismissed the motions filed by the defence of retired Colonel Volodya Avetisyan, a Karabakh War veteran, accused of fraud, and left him in custody. Advocate Ara Zakaryan has announced that he will challenge the court's decision at the Council of Justice of Armenia.

Residents of the village of Sogratl, Gunib District of Dagestan, are drafting regulations for self-defence units and compile lists of members thereof, as Amirkhan Magomeddadaev, the deputy of the Dagestani presidential envoy to the Mountain Territorial District, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The need to create such units is questionable, experts say.

Rauf Mirkadyrov, an Azerbaijani journalist, who is under inquiry and who was temporarily released from custody to attend the funeral of his father, today is back in the detention facility, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports. The defence is preparing an appeal complaint, said the lawyer Mamedli.