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On December, 18, European Court of Human Rights considered the case “Aslakhanov and others vs. Russian Federation” and obliged Russia to pay 550 thousand euros to the families of eight residents of Chechnya who disappeared in the first half of the 2000-s. The court took side with the claimants who stated that their relatives were kidnapped by representatives of Russian power ministries.

During a regular meeting in Ergneti within the framework of Mechanism for prevention of incidents and response to them (MPRI) on December, 19, South-Ossetian party released Georgian citizen Givi Chkikvadze.

26 convicts of prison No 9 of Tbilisi started a hunger strike in support of the people removed from the list of political prisoners, Press Service of the “Georgian party” reported.

Today the attorneys of the defendants on the case of attempt of blasting “Sapsan” train appealed against the verdict of judge Andrey Rasnovsky of Moscow city court who acknowledged four defendants guilty and sentenced them to 14 to 17 years of custody in a strict regime colony.

Relatives of Marat Gunashev, anaesthetist detained for suspicion of involvement in murder of Ahmed Magomedov, Chief of the Department of Interior Affairs of Makhachkala, appealed to Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika asking to look into the matter.

Attorneys and relatives of Ahmedkhan Aushev, Zurab Didigov and Bashir Mislaurov in Ingushetia report investigation’s unlawful actions and inaction of Public Prosecutor’s office. The lawyers state impossibility to meet with their clients and the defendants’ relatives fear that they are tortured. Representatives of the investigation decline comment.

Resident of the settlement of Novy Khushet Karimulla Abdulkhalikov reported refusal to allow him take the body of his son Kamil Abdulkhalikov killed on December, 16, in Kaspiysk from the morgue of Makhachkala.

Today witnesses for the prosecution, law enforcement officers Koltsov and Dyatlov who carried out search in defendant Yusup Temerkhanov’s house in Chechnya, evidenced at the trial on the case of ex-colonel Yuri Budanov’s murder.

Participants of an action of protest in Kutaisi with the demand of Mikhail Saakashvili’s resignation pelted the President’s cortège with stones and blocked the building where Head of the state was.

Committee of Inquiry initiated three criminal cases of newborn babies’ death in the maternity hospital of Pyatigorsk.

After a five-hour interrogation in the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, Alexander Khetaguri, ex-Minister of Finance and Energetics, Nika Gvaramia, ex-Minister of Education and Justice, presently Director General of “Rustavi-2”, Kakha Damenia, ex-Deputy Minister of Economy, Devi Kandelaki, Director General of “Telasi” stock-company, and two more high-ranking officials were detained.

A criminal case under five articles against Araz Guliev, the editor-in-chief of the online religious edition xeber44.com, which was transferred to the Lankoran Court of Grave Crimes, has to do with Guliev's journalism and his coverage of believers' protest against the ban on hijabs (headscarves) in schools of Azerbaijan, Azer Guliev, Araz's brother is confident.

Librarians of Tbilisi demand from the city Mayoralty to preserve the Georgia's library network.

Today, the Rostov Regional Court will continue hearing of the case of 17 members of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, accused and suspected of extremism. The Court must decide whether the indictment of two believers of this group was legal. The charge of extremism earlier presented to 14 believers has been already declared illegal by the court.

The Coordination Council of Circassian Public Organizations of Russia has sent an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking to start implementing the measures under the plan for evacuation of Russians from Syria. At the same time, activists of the Circassian organizations have expressed their disagreement with the demand to be a "carrier of the Russian language and culture" for the persons who will need to accelerate the adoption of Russian citizenship.

The initiative group of residents of Vladikavkaz named "Stop 'Electrozink'!" formed on the website "Odnoklassniki" plans to continue their protests. The activists' efforts will be directed towards uniting the environmental movement in all the cities where the Urals Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC) operates.

The former Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who is accused of forming an illegal armed formation (IAF), went on hunger strike in prison, said his lawyer Zviad Kordzadze.

As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia, a large network of manufacturing counterfeit money, part of which was intended to fund extremist organizations in Northern Caucasus, was disclosed.

The Moscow City Court, which today has continued the trial on the murder of Colonel Yuri Budanov, has dismissed the petition of the defence of the accused Yusuf Temerkhanov asking to challenge Judge Andrei Korotkov.

Today, in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), unidentified masked men kidnapped Rezuan Afashagov, a villager Atazhukino, Baksan District, reported his brother Ali Afashagov, who turned to law enforcement bodies and human rights defenders asking to help to find Rezuan.