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The opposition political forces, which have united into the "National Council", are preparing a lawsuit against Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili and Georgi Arveladze, head of the "Imedi" TV company, in connection with the "special report" on alleged intrusion of Russian troops into Georgia broadcast on March 13.

Alexei Martynenko, previously convicted, who threatened to explode the building of Frolovo district department of internal affairs in Volgograd region has surrendered. "The shahid's belt" with which he threatened militiamen has proved to be a dummy.

The first steps aimed at introducing the reforms promised to the Council of Europe will be implemented by the Armenian authorities even before the April session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. This has been announced by David Arutyunyan, head of the Armenian delegation in PACE.

Ganimat Zakhidov, chief editor of the "Azadlyg" ("Freedom") newspaper, granted pardon yesterday by the decree of the Azeri president, was released today morning from the specialized medical establishment of the country's Penitentiary service.

Umar Garisov, resident of village Karanayaul, Kayakent district, complains that his brother Osman Garisov has been in Azeri pre-trial prisons since February 10. Today, Umar Garisov has relayed that the incident happened at the Azeri customs house where the brother was returning home from his pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The pistol from which Daniil Sysoev, provost of the Moscow Apostle Thomas cathedral, had been murdered on November 19, 2009, was found on Beksultan Karybekov, born in Kirghizia, killed in the capital of Dagestan. This has been made known in the RF ICPO.

On March 16, Sharaputdin Gadzhiev, Federal Judge of the Leninskiy district court of Makhachkala, Dagestan, changed the measure of restraint for the journalists of the local weekly "Chernovik" from the recognizance not to leave to the obligation to appear before court. The judge also granted the petition of the defence to conduct another comprehensive psychologico-linguistic expert analysis of the newspaper materials in the federal centre of forensic examination under the Russian Ministry of Justice.

Yakub Kartakaev, born in Dagestan, accused of murdering a militiaman in the Moscow's district of Kuntsevo, has stated today in the Zamoskvoretsk district court of Moscow that he shot in self-defence in response to the abuse of power by MIA officers.

Nikolai Volkov, ex-deputy of Volgograd regional Duma, is suspected of raping under-aged children. The militia arrested the influential businessman but he managed to escape. A criminal case has been initiated on the fact of the Volkov's flee.

In Astrakhan, a number of local deputies and journalists have gone on a hunger strike. In this way they protest against "political repressions and framed criminal cases against opposition activists."

Opposition plans to hold meetings on March 20 and 21 in the South Ossetia capital.

The prosecutor's office of Krasnodar Territory has enforced payment of outstanding wages to the builders of Olympic facilities in Sochi, reports Marina Gridneva, official representative of RF General Prosecutor's Office.

On March 16, on the eve of the sitting of the Committee on Monitoring of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, an action of protest was held in the capital of Armenia attended by more than ten thousand people.

The opposition Social-Democratic Party of Sweden has filed a lawsuit against Prime-Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who has assured his Turkish counterpart that the resolution on genocide of Armenians adopted by the Swedish parliament is not going to be effective as law.

Today, Jose Manuel Barroso, chairman of the European Commission, has expressed his concern to the Georgian Prime-Minister Nike Ghilauri in connection with the report of the "Imedi" TV channel broadcast on March 13 about the alleged invasion of Russian troops.

On March 12, Nikolai Trotiuk, the former chair of the "Taganrog" local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses (Rostov region), was summoned to the deputy prosecutor of the city. The believers fear that this fact may be the start of criminal prosecution of the organization followers. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Grigory Martynov from the press service of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

The Pervomaiski district court of Krasnodar has denied Alexei Dymovskiy, the former militia major, to consider the lawsuit filed with the region internal affairs department to invalidate the order on his dismissal and reinstatement at work. This has been reported by Valeri Melnikov, representative of the plaintiff.

Today, Ilham Aliev, president of Azerbaijan, has signed a decree on granting pardon to 72 convicts, including Ganimat Zakhidov, editor of an opposition newspaper. The pardon is linked with the Novruz holiday marked on the day of the vernal equinox.

Chechnya law enforcement agencies investigate the murder of a 49-year-old resident of the Martan-Chu village, Achkhoi-Martan district, who was captured by armed persons while picking up wild leek in the forest and later found killed in the mountain forest area several kilometres from the village.

In Dagestan, Criminal Case No. 96892 dealing with appeals to murders and grave crimes (the so-called "execution list") was transferred to Basyr Magomedov, an inspector on especially important cases of the investigatory committee at the prosecutor's office of Dagestan. This was reported by Isalmagomed Nabiev, chairman of independent trade union of drivers and entrepreneurs of Dagestan.