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According to the amendments to the Marriage and family code and Criminal code of Azerbaijan introduced at a session of Milly Majlis on November, 15, persons who compel a woman to marriage will be held criminally liable.

According to a source in law enforcement bodies, the same persons who had organized the murder of ex-colonel of the Russian army Yury Budanov may be involved in the murder of Chechen poet Ruslan Akhtahanov. Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that Ruslan Akhtahanov, a well-known Chechen cultural figure, member of Russian Union of Writers, laureate of Artem Borovik prize, was killed in Moscow about this midnight.

The Tver Regional Court continues process on the case of explosion at the "Neva-Express" train in 2009, in which 10 natives of Ingushetia are the figurants. The trial has already questioned defence witnesses, presented evidence; the defendants' interrogation was appointed for November 21. According to Musa Pliev, the lawyer of two defendants, the trial is being accelerated, and the prosecution has failed to answer key questions, including the question of motive.

The Vidnoe District Court of the Moscow Region continues hearings on the case against OMON (riot police) agents accused of kidnapping of representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Moscow for ransom. Brother of a kidnapped person testified at the trial.

This evening, at the lawsuit filed by Karen Andreasyan, the human rights defender, the Armenian Constitutional Court, issued a decision to order courts to estimate material situation of media in determining the amount of compensation on complaints against defamation.

In Dagestan, the investigatory authorities question residents of the village of Khutrakh of the Tsuntin District who were aggrieved during the special operation in late September. According to human rights defenders, in the course of the a mass clean-up (zachistka) in the village, power agents repeatedly violated the provisions of the Russian legislation with respect to local residents, showed cruelty and degraded people.

In the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), the unemployment rate is four times higher than the national average. This was reported by Sergey Stepashin, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation.

Andrei Kuprikov, Chairman of the Volgograd regional branch of the "Pravoe Delo" (Right Cause) claimed that he treated the concluded agreement "For Fair Elections" as invalid.

The Ministry of Justice of Dagestan has violated the Law on state procurement at the open auction held in electronic form to purchase a car for the needs of the institution. This was reported by the Dagestani Office of the FAS (Federal Antimonopoly Service).

Residents of the village of Dolakovo in Ingushetia claim that Ruslan Evkurov, the cousin of the republic's leader, charged each applicant for 15,000 roubles for legal support in preparation of documents for grants allocated from the federal budget for development of small and medium businesses and disappeared with money. The deceived people state that they are going to seek justice on their own; the Ingush Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) claims that the Economic Crimes Control Division is investigating into the case.

The meeting of the PACE's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, appointed for November 16 in Paris, which was to consider the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, has been cancelled. This was reported by Einullah Fatullaev, former political prisoner invited to the meeting, now the head of the NGO "For Human Rights".

Yerevan hosted the 2nd two-day international conference on Talysh studies dated to the 15th anniversary of the international magazine "Iran and Caucasus". The organizers of the conference emphasize that the event has no political orientation and represents a purely academic initiative; however, they claimed violation of rights of Talysh people living in Azerbaijan. At the same time, no representatives of Azerbaijan attended the conference.

Madina Nalieva, a resident of Chechnya, was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment for selling two of her newborn babies. This was reported today by the Russian General Prosecutor's Office.

The People's Assembly of Karachay-Cherkessia formed a republican Committee for restoration of rights of rehabilitated victims of political repression. It will deal with publishing a Book of Memory and construction of a memorial complex in honour of the lost people.

This year sappers in Armenia have defused about 21 hectares of local territories, including mined areas in Siunik district. However, the neighbourhood of 60 settlements of the country still remains mined.

First Vice-premier Victor Zubkov criticized local officials in Volgograd for being slow in solving the "people's problems" and gave them two weeks to improve the situation.

Business lady Silvia Ambartsumyan in Armenia accused Governor of Siunik district Suren Khachatryan of beating her up in "Armenia Marriott Hotel".

The police in the capital of Azerbaijan suppressed an action of protest of youth oppositional activists demanding release of political prisoners, in particular, those arrested in connection with the meeting of April, 2, and ensuring freedom of assembly. The action was timed to a visit of European Union Special Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton to Baku.

Khadjimurat Akkaev, an athlete from Kabardino-Balkaria, won the World Championship in Weightlifting, held in Paris on November 5-13.

Shamil Gasankhanov, a native of Dagestan, acting in the weight category of 74 kg, won a gold medal at World Championship in Combat Sambo, held on November 11-13 in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.