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March 3 was the 320th day after cancellation in the Chechen Republic of the longstanding counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime. From that moment on, the casualty rate as a result of the armed opposition of the underground against power agencies in Chechnya has reached 292 persons, in fact twice the figure of the same period prior to the CTO cancellation, when 154 persons were lost.

The preliminary hearing on the claim lodged by dismissed Militia Major Alexei Dymovskiy against the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) of the Krasnodar Territory, due to take place today at the Pervomaiskiy District Court of Krasnodar, was cancelled, as Judge Svetlana Mordovina has announced.

The authorities of the Chechen Republic have officially announced that the rumours about introduction of taxation of domestic animals and poultry have nothing to do with reality. The efforts of local administrations who make house-by-house visits and register livestock and poultry are explained only by the intention of the authorities to have a "clear idea about the population of privately owned animals."

Since today's morning, the village of Mutsalaul, Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, is blocked by army units and local law enforcers. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it Bashir Alavdinov, a resident of this village.

The authors of the Chechen forum adamalla.com, opened in Europe, state that their resource will be a platform for free expression of opinions and an independent source for users to get information about what happens in the Chechen Republic and learn about the events hushed up by the official mass media. In his turn, Lema Gudaev, deputy minister of Chechnya for foreign relations, national policy, press and information, is sure that the Chechen Internet space in the region is independent and free.

Lawyer Keti Bekauri told journalists that her client Tsotne, son of the first president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who is in custody, stopped his hunger strike in response to appeal of Elias the Second, Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia.

As reported by a source in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the problem with the students of the Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University (PSLU) detained in Czechia "is practically settled." A decision was made to issue Schengen visas to them for they could continue their travel.

Einullah Fatullaev, founder and editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Real Azerbaijan", serving his imprisonment in Azerbaijan, has stated a threat to his life. This was the topic of his letter addressed to the bosses of the Penitentiary Services of Azerbaijan and to the Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalists, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Today, the People's Party of South Ossetia has made a statement with indignation against the arrest of its member and public figure Fatima Margieva. In the opinion of the deputies who represent this party, her arrest is illegal and was caused by her political activities.

As reported on Tuesday by Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russia's ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office), a special division was set up at the regional department of the Committee for investigating kidnappings committed in Chechnya. The division will work in close interaction with relatives of kidnapped persons.

Today in Moscow at a press conference "Fighting counterfeits or fighting human rights defenders? Krasnodar case. Persecuting of Anastasia Denisova" her colleagues have stated that the actions of the Krasnodar human rights defender and head of "ETnIKA" organization have no crime attributes.

Today, Ahmadudin Borziev, father of Shamsullah Borziev, one of detained suspects of murdering Interior Minister of Dagestan Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, has stated that Vladimir Markin, official spokesman of Russia's ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office), who denied that suspects were tortured, knows nothing in fact about the incident.

Today, law enforcers of Dagestan detained, when dispersing a rally held by relatives of the suspects of murdering Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, head of local MIA, Murad Muradov, a journalist of the Dagestan-based weekly "Novoe Delo" (New Business). The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it from Marko Shakhbanov, editor-in-chief of the weekly.

The litigation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Azerbaijan and Eyub Kerimov, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Femida-007", is transferred to the Baku Appeal Court, which will consider the appeal complaint of Nazil Aliev and Dableika Guliev, where they demand to toughen Kerimov's punishment.

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of Ingushetia has replaced colony-settlement by "restriction of freedom" to Ibragim Evloev, former head of security of the Interior Minister of Ingushetia, convicted for involuntary manslaughter of the former owner of the oppositional site "Ingushetia.Ru" Magomed Evloev.

Today, a 500-strong rally took place in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, were demands were voiced out about inadmissibility to torture Shamsullah Borziev, a resident of Rakhat village, and Abdulmedzhid Manapov from Botlikh village, both villages are in the Botlikh District, suspected of murdering Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, Interior Minister of Dagestan.

Today in the morning, the border check point "Kazbegi-Verkhni Lars" started its operation. Its Kazbegi section works under the legislation of Georgia, while the Verkhni Lars one - according to the Russian legislation.

The international organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB) believes, as stated in its special press release on the state of things with mass media in Sochi and in Krasnodar Territory as a whole, that the Sochi-based press had failed to give due attention to ecological consequences of the Olympic construction.

The health condition of Vadim Karastelyov, a human rights activist from Novorossisk and Alexei Dymovskiy's official representative, who was beaten on February 27, is now better; however, for about a week no investigatory actions with him will be possible. This was stated by Marina Dubrovina, Mr Karastelyov's advocate, who visited him in the Novorossisk city hospital.

Chechen authorities plan to open a school of hafizes - readers of the Koran, who know the sacred book of Moslems by heart - in Grozny.