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Today, Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner of the Council of Europe, came to Georgia for his three-day visit. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Mr Hammarberg's press service that today he would have meetings with activists of NGOs and human rights organizations, then - with government officials, prior to his visit to South Ossetia.

People in Chechnya are sceptical to the news that the murderer of the well-known human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, kidnapped and assassinated on July 15, 2009, is established. Her colleagues believe that inspectors know already for a long time the executors and organizers of this crime; however, they doubt that the names will ever be disclosed.

The failure of the Rostov sewer on February 17 changed the ecology of Rostov water bodies. The committee for environment preservation of Rostov-on-Don has warned about it.

Today is 18 years after the Khodzhaly tragedy, when at night on February 26, 1992, the city of Khodzhaly in Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited by Azerbaijanis, was seized by Armenian armed formations with participation of the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the former Soviet Army.

Medical people are visiting, on the house-by-house basis, residents of the city of Semikarakorsk, Rostov Region, with the aim to prevent a spread of infection, which already caused hospitalization of 10 persons. The Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case on the fact of mass poisoning of citizens.

The court session due to take part today in Dubai on the case dealing with a murder attempt on Sulim Yamadaev, ex-commander of the "Vostok" (East) special battalion, is postponed till March 2, after the judge in the process failed to appear in the courtroom.

Construction of the Stepanakert Airport continues in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). Anait Vardanyan, Minister of Town-Planning, has noted that construction goes on at a high rate, and by October 2010 the Airport will receive first passengers.

Near the building of the Operative-Search Bureau (OSB) in central Nazran, which was shelled on February 24 by unidentified persons, three self-made bombs were found.

Militiamen of the city of Azov, Rostov Region, have detained a suspect of committing vandalism in the veterans' cemetery. According to the GUVD (Chief Interior Department), the 19-year-old local resident destroyed more than 30 tombs; the youngster has admitted his guilt.

Residents of some Chechen villages report that officials from district and settlement administrations are touring over households and register all the animals raised by local residents. Under peasants' stories, such officials' actions have the aim of subsequent taxation.

In the opinion of activists of Chechen NGOs and local residents, the absence of information about the inquiry into the circumstances of the murder on February 11 of several residents of the Achkhoy-Martan District of Chechnya, committed in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia, gives rise to suspicion that this crime may remain unpunished.

Magomed Abdulaev, who was appointed today to the post of the chairman of the government of Dagestan, has defined the main priorities of economic development of the republic. Among the first-order tasks are development of industry, attraction of investments and creation of a free economic zone in Dagestan.

A cultural programme will promote changes in the image of Northern Caucasus and in the attitude to the region, said Alexander Khloponin, Plenipotentiary of Russian President in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), at the meeting in Vladikavkaz with members of the creative unions and religious organizations.

Employees of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" have contacted the members of the investigatory group, who told them have reported that the name of the killer of the Chechen human rights defender Natalia Estemirova was not established yet.

Today, Ahmadudin Berziev, a resident of Rakhat settlement, Botlikh District, and father of Shamsullah Berziev, who was detained on suspicion of murdering the Interior Minister of Dagestan, has stated that his son is tortured. The detainee's bodily injuries were confirmed by a medical certificate.

Madina Tsokieva, a resident of Ingushetia and mother of Timur and Magomed Tsokiev, who were announced in federal search on suspicion of preparing and committing crimes, asks for help in defending her sons' rights. Ms Tsokiev? herself told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.

On February 23, in Ordzonikidzevskaya village an employee of the Department for Ingushetia of the FSB (Federal Security Bureau) of the Russian Federation was killed as a result of shelling of his car.

In Georgia, on the basis of the "Meore Arkhi" (Central TV Channel Two), a new - political - channel is created. The corresponding memorandum was signed on February 23 by David Bakradze, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, in the Tbilisi office of the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

On February 23, the Southern and North-Caucasian Federal Districts (SFD and NCFD) hosted solemn events dedicated to the Day of Homeland Defender. In some regions, protest actions were dated to the holiday.

In March-April 2010, the 183rd Session of the Executive Council of the UNESCO in Paris will see the presentation "Sustainable Development of Mountainous Territories", prepared by the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, North-Caucasian Mining-Metallurgy Institute and Innovation-Technological Centre.