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On June 17, Viskhan Daudov, a 27-year-old resident of the village of Staraya Sunzha, was captured and driven away to some unknown destination from the mosque of the Grozny village named after Kalinin. According to residents of Grozny, along with him, armed men in uniform drove away two other young men, whose names were unknown.

In Baku, Khilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Tolyshi Sado", published in the Talysh language, the deputy head of the Talysh Cultural Centre, was detained on suspicion of drug possession.

Israpil Gadadov, a lawyer of the "Kavkaz" Bar, left the building of the Soviet ROVD (District Interior Division), and no charges were filed against him. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by the lawyer himself during a telephone conversation.

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) focused on the uncontrolled and unpunished killings and kidnappings of people in Northern Caucasus in its report entitled "Vicious circle of injustice: special operations and violations of human rights in Ingushetia".

Yusup Ektumaev, Makhmud Madaev, and Kemran Karsamov were detained on suspicion of involvement in committing explosion of an improvised land mine, committed on April 17 in the Cossack village of Assinovskaya of the Sunzha District of the Chechen Republic. Their relatives and lawyer claimed that the detainees were tortured. According to them, the detainees have confessed under torture and they intend to retract unlawfully given confessions at trial.

This morning, in the street of the city of Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkaria) Arthur Urusov, a local resident, was kidnapped by unidentified persons. This was reported by his mother Fatima Urusova.

On Tuesday, June 19, the Shirvan Court of Appeal of Azerbaijan, chaired by Judge Ismail Akhmedov, held consideration of the appeal, filed by Aidyn Djanyev, a regional correspondent of the newspaper "Khural". The Court dismissed the journalist's complaint and upheld the verdict of guilty, pronounced by the court of first instance.

The decision of the Tuapse District Court, which convicted ecologists Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko to three years of conditional sentence with probation period of two years, will be challenged at the court of appeal. This was stated by the defence.

Today, in the Krasnodar Territory, MPs adopted in the first reading the law draft "On amendments to certain legislative acts of the Krasnodar Territory in terms of strengthening protection of health and spiritual and moral development of children". Alexander Tkachov, Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, supported the document.

Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the opposition coalition "Georgia Dream", has seven days to pay fines, amounting to 74,325,065 laris (45.6 million US dollars). Otherwise, the money can be forcibly confiscated from the businessman.

Today, activists of the youth movement of the political coalition of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili "Georgian Dream" held a protest action in front of the building of the National Communication Commission, demanding to ensure freedom of the media. The picket was attended by about 100 persons.

The verdict in the case against Sergey Evloev, accused of involvement in an illegal armed formation (IAF), banditry and attack on life of a police officer, is to be pronounced on June 25. Today, Sergey Evloev was released from custody in the courtroom.

Decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), obliging Russia to pay compensation, amounting to 9000-66,000 euros in favour of the victims of the terror act committed in the Dubrovka theatre in Moscow in October 2002, has entered into force. This was reported by the "Trunov, Ivar and Partners" Bar.

Relatives of Ziyautdin Shapiev, the residents of Dagestan, who was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in a high security colony for aiding members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), claim violation of his rights. He serves his sentence in the Tomsk Region.

On June 18, lawyer Sapiyat Magomedova filed a complaint to court about inaction of representatives of the investigatory agencies, who were engaged in the investigation into two cases, in which she had been a figurant. According to the lawyer, both cases are closed; however, her personal items, confiscated as material evidence, in particular, her mobile phone, were not returned, and the investigator fails to inform the Information Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) about closing the criminal case against her.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan exerts pressure on the staff of the "Kura" headquarters. This was stated by the organization's representatives at the roundtable in Baku. According to the representatives of the headquarters, criminal proceedings against Oktai Gyulalyev are being continued, and Ilham Amiraslanov was tortured at the police station.

On June 18, a group of 10 returnees arrived from Syria in Adygea and Kabardino-Balkaria. In total, on June 15-18, 49 returnees came to the republics in three groups. On the coming days, other 42 persons are expected to come to Russia from Syria.

The trial in the case of death of contractor officer Artak Nazaryan began the process of interrogation of the defendants. At the court session, held on June 18, Vaagn Airapetyan answered the questions of the parties and called the charges against him fabricated. Interrogation of the defendants will be continued on June 26.

Relatives of allegedly kidnapped Murad Ilyasov do not exclude that law enforcement agents may be involved in his disappearance. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by a son of Murad Ilyasov.

Judge of the Tuapse District Court announced debates in the case against ecologists Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, who were accused of damaging a fence around the so-called summer cottage of Alexander Tkachov, Governor of the Krasnodar Territory. Public prosecutors demanded to sentence Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko to three years of conditional sentence.