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On May 20, the Parliament of Georgia amended the Law "On Legal Status of Foreigners" and introduced a simplified visa regime for five countries. At entering Georgia for up to 360 days, visas are cancelled for citizens of Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Iraq.

Today, the People's Forum, which unites several oppositional forces, has started its actions in the Georgian capital. The Freedom Square has housed about 10,000 people, who demand resignation of Saakashvili and improvement of living standards.

Today, Moscow hosts an event dated to the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation of the Law No. 1107-1 "On Rehabilitation of Repressed Nations". The event is held by the Ingush public living in Moscow.

When speaking at a press conference on the outcomes of his visit to Azerbaijan, Jerzy Buzek, head of the European Parliament, called the Azerbaijani authorities to advance with reforms, ensure democratic rights and freedoms and hold dialogue with the civil society and the opposition.

Yesterday, on May 20, the central Astrakhan was a venue of a series of solo pickets, organized by the Astrakhan regional branch of "The Other Russia" with the aim to attract public attention to the problem of rising prices on fuel and lubricants.

On May 20, after the first day of the conference "Andrei Sakharov: Concern and Hope of 2011", dedicated to the 90th birthday of Andrei Sakharov, Russian rights defenders laid flowers at the place, where lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were shot dead.

The first official football match at the new Akhmad Kadyrov Stadium, opened on May 11 in Grozny, passed peacefully. Grozny "Terek" beat Makhachkala "Anji" 1:0. Football fans note that security measures at the stadium were unprecedented.

Today, the Akhmad Kadyrov Stadium, opened on May 11 in Grozny, which is the largest sports complex in Northern Caucasus, will host the first official football match between "Terek" Grozny and "Anji" Makhachkala. Some residents of Grozny claim that, same like on May 11, thousands of people will be driven in the "voluntary-compulsory" manner to the stadium.

The investigatory bodies of Kabardino-Balkaria have initiated a criminal case against two officials of the administration of the Prokhladnensky District. They are suspected of frauds with the housing facilities intended for resettling people out of dilapidated housing stock.

The main goals of the May 17-19 visit of Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to Azerbaijan were to study the living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to attract the attention of the world community to the unsettled Karabakh conflict and its heavy humanitarian consequences.

Today, the International Conference "Andrei Sakharov: Concern and Hope of 2011" dated to the 90th birthday of Andrei Sakharov was opened in Moscow. Its participants have already stated the relevance of Sakharov's ideas for the modern Russia.

Lack of proper inquiry into crimes committed in Northern Caucasus may create a dangerous precedent for future generations, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, said at a briefing held within the Moscow Sakharov Conference.

Today, young mothers with children have held a picket near the building of the Central Bank today held a picket, demanding the authorities to address the shortage of places in kindergartens. As reported by the city UVD, the authorized action was attended by about 35 women with children.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has instructed the Ministry of Justice to monitor enforcement of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as Strasbourg Court by its location. A significant share of these decisions has to do with the affairs of Northern Caucasus.

Today, the Shamil District Court of Dagestan has sentenced three policemen, accused of brutal beating of Makhmud Akhmedov, 14.

Today, at its plenary session, the Georgian Parliament has unanimously adopted the resolution "On Recognition of Circassian Genocide Committed by Russian Empire". Ninety-five MPs have supported the resolution, as the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the Parliament's session hall.

At night on May 20, a security officer from the UVD (Interior Department) of Krasnodar shot dead a drunken driver while checking his documents. this was reported by the press service of the Investigatory Department for the Krasnodar Territory of the ICRF (Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation).

The City court of Tbilisi selected pretrial detention for 40 days as a preventive punishment for the leader of the youth branch of the "Georgian Party" Shota Yamanidze. Yamanidze was detained by the police of Tbilisi on May, 18, for accusation of purchasing, storage and use of narcotic drugs.

On May, 16, a video recorded by representatives of Circassian diaspora in the USA appeared on the Net. It demonstrated a flash-mob organized by American Circassians against Russian consulates in the USA. The flash-mob was called "May, 21 - a call for action. Where is Circassia?" and timed to an anniversary of the Russian-Caucasian war.

No less than 116 persons became victims of armed confrontations in Northern Caucasus in April. 71 people out of them were killed and 45 got wounded. These are the totals of calculation by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.