All news

As reported by the Armenian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), 25 victims of the explosion in Republic Square of Yerevan are still treated at intensive care units of local medical centres. The exploded balloons could be filled with hydrogen or methane, which have the lifting force and are explosives at the same time, said Vladimir Fedotov, Deputy Director of the Scientific and Production Association (SPA) "Geliymash". He denies that the balloons could be filled with helium, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

The court session in Astrakhan on the lawsuit initiated by Oleg Shein, an ex-candidate for the Mayor of the city and organizer of a hunger strike for cancellation of the election outcome, has interrogated 16 witnesses of the claimant.

The explosion occurred on May 4 in Republic Square during a pre-election rally-concert of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. The number of victims was 144, said the spokesman of the Armenia's Ministry for Emergencies (MfE).

The Moscow Prosecutor's Office will supervise the investigation into the brawl near the "Evropeiskiy" Trading Centre between activists of the movement "Nashi" and relatives of Tamerlan Mingaev, Deputy Representative of the Chechen Republic at the President of the Russian Federation, the Russia's General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) reports.

Materials on the crimes committed by employees of law enforcement bodies in Dagestan will be transferred to the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation additionally, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has reported. The crimes are rapes, murders, acts of torture and kidnappings.

Kamil Mutaev, a resident of the village of Zubutli-Miatli, Kizilyurt District, who was kidnapped in Dagestan, had been earlier detained several times by the police, said his wife Zukhra Mutaeva.

President of Dagestan Магомедсалам Магомедов has visited the victims of the double terror act, who were taken to City Hospital No. 2 of Makhachkala. According to his decision, May 5 was announced to be the day of mourning.

The double explosion in Makhachkala at night on May 3 was the sixth such incident in Northern Caucasus since the beginning of 2011.

On May 3 in Baku, the celebrations of the World Press Freedom Day were accompanied by the presentation of the website of the Regional School of Investigative Journalism (RSIJ). The website investigator.az, operated in three languages (Azerbaijani, Russian and English) will be the first and the only in Azerbaijan special resource for investigative journalists.

Zurab Delianidze aged 39 died in hospital of Gland prison of Tbilisi. According to the official version, the convict who was serving a six-years term of imprisonment for storage of drugs died from a serious disease, however, his people dispute this version. Delianidze’s wife Ketino Beridze states that her husband was quite healthy. She also said that the officials of the correctional facility informed her about her husband’s death too late.

Pronouncement of a verdict on the case of acts of terror in Georgia in 2009-2010 was deferred. The defendants’ attorneys are negotiating with Public prosecutor’s office on the conditions of procedural agreement.

On the day of the 55th anniversary of return of the Karachay people to their historic homeland after forcible deportation, ceremonies of celebration were held in the towns and districts of the republic.

Interrogation of the witnesses on the lawsuit of ex-candidate for Mayor’s Office of Astrakhan Oleg Shein started in court. At the trial of May, 3, the witnesses invited by the plaintiff stated violations in the polling stations during the election of Mayor.

In Nagorno-Karabakh, about 60 young men held a subbotnik to clean the Dzhdrduz Meadow and the territory around the Church Gazanchetsots in the city of Shusha. The action was dated to the Workers' International Solidarity Day and May 9.

Today, the Freedom Square in Yerevanhas hosted the final pre-election rally of the oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC). The elections to the National Assembly of Armenia will take place on May 6.

Today, the materials gathered by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"on the crimes committed, according to human rights defenders, by law enforcement officials in Kabardino-Balkaria, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Chechnya, were sent to Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), to be investigated by the special unit of the ICRF.

A training centre aimed to teach old people in the basics of computer and IT skills has been opened today in Vladikavkaz.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found no proofs of involvement of power agents in Sirazhudin Shafiev's kidnapping in September 2009. However, the decision of the ECtHR states the guilt of Russian authorities of a failure to properly investigate the case.

Khadizhat and Malik Gataev, the founders of the family children's home in Chechnya, have received political asylum in Finland; the same protection was also granted to three of their children. This was reported by Oksana Chelysheva, ahuman rights activist and Vice-Chair of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society.

Georgian human rights organizations have held a staged action – in Tbilisi, inRustaveli Avenue– under the motto "I am a reporter, not a spy!" dated to the World Press Freedom Day.