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The Azerbaijani authorities should stop the practice of criminal prosecution of journalists. This was stated by Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. She has condemned the conviction of journalist and activist Parviz Gashimli, who on May 15 was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.

The commission consisting of officials from the Government of the Stavropol Territory and the administration of the Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Russian President in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) together with the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) has determined a land plot near the city of Pyatigorsk to build a mosque. The agreement to allocate the land plot has been signed at the travelling meeting at the office of the SAM for the Stavropol Territory.

In Azerbaijan, law enforcement and judicial authorities flagrantly violate the rights of Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), and her husband Arif Yunus, who are witnesses in the case against journalist Rauf Mirkadyrov. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Khalid Bagirov, an advocate of the Yunus spouses.

Beslan Teuvazhev, an activist of the organization named "Adygekhem Ya Duney" and one of the organizers of making commemorative ribbons to the 150th anniversary of the end of the Russian-Caucasian War, was detained today by employees of a Moscow OVD (Interior Divisions), another Circassian activist, Evgeny Tashu, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A burnt-down car with a man's body inside was found in the Buynaksk District of Dagestan. According to local residents, the casualty was the Imam of the mosque of the village of Stalskoe, Kizilyurt District. However, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) argues that the body has not been identified yet.

Employees of the penitentiary system of Georgia create artificial obstacles to the officials of the Ombudsman in monitoring the prisons, Ucha Nanuashvili, the Ombudsman, said on May 15 the at a briefing in Tbilisi.

On May 15, the Baku Court of Appeal (CoA) dismissed the complaints lodged against the arrest of Kyamalya Bananyarly, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), for participating in the protest action on May 6, and the 15-day arrest of Tural Abbasly, an activist of the "Musavat" Party, for taking part in the same action.

The defence of Aisha Abakarova and Sadiyat Arslanova, the volunteers of the Charitable Foundation "Be Merciful!", who were detained for three days on charges of disobeying the police, has challenged the ruling of the Khasavyurt City Court on administrative arrest.

Today, four law enforcers, who had been wounded on May 15 in the shelling near the village of Sogratl of the Gunib District of Dagestan, have been delivered to Makhachkala. At the GunibHospital, the victims were visited by Abdurashid Magomedov, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan.

On May 15, the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic launched the traditional annual charity marathon "Hurry up to do good!" The campaign will last until November 1, and its main purpose is to raise funds for seriously ill children, orphans and children in difficult situations, and to support children's social institutions.

At the conference held in Ingushetia, about 40 persons have discussed law-enforcement practice in the fight against the ideology of extremism and terrorism in Northern Caucasus. Following the results of the meeting, the participants of the conference have made a decision to strengthen the prevention of exposure to extremist ideology among young people.

On May 15, in Armenia, in front of the UN Office in Yerevan, about thirty representatives of the Yazidi community held a rally in support of their compatriots living in Iraq. According to the protestors, their Iraqi compatriots are subjected to regular attacks. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Last night, more than 400 people blocked the federal highway M4 "Don" at the entrance to Krasnodar for thirty minutes. Participants of the protest action demanded to punish the persons responsible for the death of Timur Ashinov, a resident of Adygea, after mass fight in a Krasnodar cafe.

The Krasnodar Territorial Court chaired by Judge Irina Kombarova has reversed the ruling of the lower instance, which had ordered the Sochi Mayoralty to provide comfortable housing to a family of fire victims with minor children. The case was considered by the Territorial Court on May 13, said the press service of the Court.

As reported by the Chief Department for the Krasnodar Territory of the Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), today, a TV operator of the LifeNews group was beaten up by fans of "Zenit" Football Club from Saint Petersburg. Besides, LifeNews states that their correspondent Litvinova was also beaten, and fans damaged the expensive television equipment.

According to Murad Dibirov, the head of the village of Gunib, the centre of the Gunib District in Dagestan, more than ten people were wounded in a shootout with policemen near the village of Sogratl, located in this district. Local residents report that four persons were killed in the above fight.

The French television journalists Emmanuel Laurent and Richard Buck, who were covering the visit of the French President Francois Hollande in Azerbaijan, were detained and then deported, said Benoit Bringer, the spokesman for the France-2 TV.

In Chechnya, a former staff member of the Council for Economic and Social Security (CESS) and an elderly man were detained on suspicion of extorting money. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" by a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

Today, in Azerbaijan, the court has pronounced the verdict to Parviz Gashimli, a journalist and a human rights defender, who was accused of smuggling and arms traffic. The court has sentenced Parviz Gashimli to 8 years of imprisonment. Tavakkyul Gurbanov, another defendant in the case, was sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment.

Each of more than 1500 families of Chechen law enforcers, who were killed on duty, will receive from the Chechen authorities a lump-sum material assistance in the amount of 100,000 roubles. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by an official from the local law enforcement authorities.