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Boris Loktionov, the state prosecutor, said at the trial for the journalist's murder at the Moscow City Court (MCC) that the motive behind Anna Politkovskaya's murder was in her publications. The defendants' advocates have reiterated their clients' innocence.

At least 14 people suffered from the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus during the week from January 20 to January 26, 2014; of them, nine persons were lost and five wounded. These are the results of the calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

In Dagestan, the welcoming ceremony of the Olympic Flame was held at the "Anji Arena" Stadium, in the presence of about 20,000 spectators, the spokesman of the relay organizing committee told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In Dagestan, at the "Anji Arena" Stadium the ceremony of honouring the Olympic Flame was over. Students of the Kaspiysk Medical College were sent to the event as spectators in order to increase the audience, young people report.

Investigators have detained an employee of a private security company and declared his two more colleagues wanted on suspicion of killing two policemen in the Stavropol Territory, representatives of law enforcement bodies of the region have reported.

At the trial dealing with the murder of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, five members were excluded from the jury. This was announced at the first session on the merits on Monday at the Moscow City Court.

The International human rights organization "Freedom House" (FH) with the headquarters in the United States has published its annual report on the situation of political rights throughout the world. According to the FH, by the end of 2013, none of the South-Caucasian countries is free.

Pavel Astakhov, Russian Commissioner for Children Rights, has reported to the experts of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the situation of children in Chechnya. He has stated the absence of violations. The assessment of the situation expressed by Pavel Astakhov does not coincide with the earlier expressed opinions of officials and human rights defenders, who paid attention to the lack of places in kindergartens in Chechnya and refusals to let children to stay with their mothers in case of parents' divorce.

Sexual minorities have denied the statement made by Anatoly Pakhomov, Mayor of Sochi, who declared the absence of gays in the capital of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. One of the gay clubs is situated not far from the house, where Anatoly Pakhomov lives. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by regular visitors of the gay clubs.

On Sunday, on the 113th day of the Olympic Torch Relay, the torch has arrived in Dagestan. The length of the stage was 6.7 kilometres. This was stated by Olga Gorlova, a member of the organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the Olympic Torch Relay.

On January 26, Astrakhan hosted a stage of the Olympic Torch Relay. The torch was carried by 112 persons, and the event was ended with a concert and fireworks.

Three suspected members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), killed during a special operation in Dagestan's capital, have been preliminary identified. This was reported by a source from the Makhachkala law enforcement bodies.

The Chechen authorities have reduced the Olympic Torch Relay route in the republic from 34 to 16 kilometres and reduced the number of viewers, who will be involved in the festive event.

Omar Mamedov, a 19-year-old activist of the Civil Solidarity Party (CSP), a co-founder of the educational movement "Akhyn" (Flow), was arrested for three months on charges of selling drugs on a large scale in Azerbaijan. This was reported by Samir Asadli, Chairman of the CSP's executive committee.

A dismantled five-storey building collapsed onto the roadway in the centre of Baku, in Geidar Aliev Avenue. Two people were lost. The police have identified them as Djavid Adalat oglu Bairamly, born in 1992, and Asiman Salman oglu Alekperov, born in 1988.

Today, in the Untsukul District, the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov held a meeting with local residents. However, the locals who came to meet him assert only employees of the administrations and employees of budget organizations of the district were admitted to the meeting with Abdulatipov.

The information about the arrival in Sochi of Ruzanna Ibragimova, a suicide bomber, who is preparing a terror act, is not true, but the person of Ibragimova is real, said the spokesman of the Sochi regional FSB office. The city police have also stated that there are no grounds to worry about the presence of suicide bombers in Sochi.

Elmar Mamedyarov and Edward Nalbandyan, the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) of Azerbaijan of Armenia, respectively, held a meeting with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Co-Chairs expressed their concern about the recent incidents at the demarcation line of armed forces on both sides of the conflict.

On January 24, the participants of the rally in Yerevan in support of the Ukrainian Euromaidan voiced against the use of violence against protesters in the cities of Ukraine and urged the law enforcers "to join the people."

Seven students of the Abkhaz State University who planned to go for training to the Czech Republic were denied visas at the consulate of this country in Moscow on the grounds that their passports had been issued by the Russia's Embassy in Abkhazia.