All news

In general, Azerbaijani experts are positively treating the idea of settling the Karabakh conflict, put forward in the statement of James Warlick, the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. The official Baku agrees with the Warlick's proposals, although the principles themselves had been voiced earlier, said Elmar Mamedyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister.

The Shirvan Court of Appeal (CoA) of Azerbaijan has dismissed the complaint against the arrest of Emil Mamedov, the head of the NGO "Promoting Democracy", accused of extortion. His defence intends to petition for replacement of arrest for a more lenient restriction measure.

The verdict to Zarema Bagavutdinova, an activist of the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy), convicted to five years in prison on charges of promoting terrorist activities, is unjust and politically motivated, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" reports.

The Supreme Court of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR) has sentenced four local residents, accused of organizing an illegal armed formation (IAF) and participating thereof, to the terms from two to eight years in prison.

In Azerbaijan, on May 22, at the trial of Abdul Abilov, the creator of the group "Stop toadies!" on the Facebook, accused of drug dealing, the closing floor was given to the state prosecutor. He asked the court to find Abilov guilty under Article 234.4.3 (illegal large-scale possession or sale of drugs) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 6.5 years in prison.

The materials about forced disappearances of six persons in Chechnya in 2001 include the name of Igor Strelkov, a Russian officer, who was put on the wanted list by the Ukrainian authorities. This was reported by Alexander Cherkasov, Chairman of the Board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

On May 21, in Rostov-on-Don, the North-Caucasian District Military Court held the session to consider the case against Said Amirov, the former mayor of Makhachkala suspended from office, and his nephew Yusup Djaparov, both of whom were accused of plotting a terror act. At the session, the Court listened to the first seven witnesses of defence.

Four railway echelons and 15 IL-76 aircrafts were involved in sending military units that completed manoeuvres on training grounds located near the border with Ukraine to the places of their permanent deployment. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation.

On May 20 and 21, the southern regions of Russia, Abkhazia and Georgia, and Moscow hosted events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War. The events included rallies, marches, artistic exhibitions and book presentations. The participants of the actions commemorated the casualties with a minute of silence and lit candles.

Upon presentation of the Prosecutor's Office, the Krasnodar Territorial Court may rule to soften the punishment on the criminal case against the ecologist Evgeny Vitishko, the experts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent believe. In their opinion, the change of the prosecutors' position may have to do with the public resonance, which was caused by the replacement of the conditional term of the ecologist by the real imprisonment.

As reported by Umalat Gadiev, Deputy Director of the E. I. Krupnov Republic's Archaeological Centre, a cave was discovered in the Djeirakh District of Ingushetia, which may be the burial vault of the Georgian Queen Tamara, who lived in the 12th century.

On May 20, in Armenia, the court of general jurisdiction of the Kotaik Region dismissed the motion filed by the defence of Vardan Petrosyan, a famous actor and satirist, to change the pre-trial restriction measure and to release him from custody. Advocates intend to challenge the court's decision at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

At the solemn meeting in Cherkessk on May 21, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War, Circassian leaders reiterated their call for the republic's authorities to help in resettlement of Syrian Circassians and establish the Committee on Compatriots' Affairs, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

On May 21, in Baku, at the trial of Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEM&DT), and two activists Bashir Suleimanly and Elnur Mamedov, the prosecutor asked to sentence the defendants to prison terms ranging from 8 to 9 years imprisonment.

In the evening on May 20, in the Shapsug aul of Akhintam, located in the Greater Sochi, Circassian activists held an action of lighting candles and launching Chinese lanterns into the sea in memory of the Caucasian War, which lasted for 101 years. Commemorative events were also held by Adygs-Shapsugs also on the coast, in the villages of Golovinka and Mugukhabl.

As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), a 25-year-old resident of the village of Dugulubgey was detained on suspicion of possession of explosive devices and providing help to members of illegal armed formations (IAFs).

The jury verdict against five defendants that found them guilty of killing the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is just a small step towards the triumph of justice. However, the trial has left a lot of questions, said the human rights organization Amnesty International (AI).

The Buynaksk City Court has sentenced Zarema Bagavutdinova, an activist of the Dagestani Regional Public Organization (DRPO) "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy), accused of promoting terrorist activities, to five years of imprisonment in a general security colony, said her lawyer Ziyautdin Uvaisov.

On May 21, at the Moscow City Court (MCC), the daughter and son of journalist Anna Politkovskaya moved a civil suit against the defendants in the case of killing her mother, demanding compensation of moral harm in the amount of one million roubles from each of them.

Timur Kuashev, a Circassian activist, rights defender and journalist, has been set free from the police division of the city of Nalchik. He told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he would appeal against the actions of law enforcement bodies.