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On December 24, the City Court of Dimitrovgrad (Ulyanovsk Region) satisfied the petition of former Colonel Yuri Budanov for conditional early relief (CER). If there is no appeal against, Budanov will be released on January 11.

The Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEM&DT) has promulgated its expert's judgement on the draft Referendum Act "On Amendments and Additions in the Constitution of Azerbaijan", designed on initiative of the ruling Party "Eni Azerbaijan" (PEA).

Georges Bush's administration disagrees with the conclusions of Russian government that this August the authorities of Georgia made a genocide attempt in South Ossetia.

On December 23, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria continued selecting jurymen for the trial of the criminal case on the events of October 13, 2005. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by advocate Magomed Abubakarov.

Opening ceremony of the monument "To Victims of Political Repressions" took place in Volgograd, 12 years after its initiation. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was present at the ceremony.

The Constitutional Court (CC) of Azerbaijan has given a positive opinion on the amendments of the Constitution offered by the national parliament; on December 24, the Court considered at its plenum a draft Referendum Act "On Amendments and Additions in the Constitution of Azerbaijan" brought by the parliament for legal expertise.

The FSB Department for Ingushetia has introduced the counterterrorist operation regime in the vicinity of Alkun village in response to the information that militants were seen there. This was reported by the spokesman of the operative staff in Ingushetia.

According to the Investigatory committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation, during the August events in South Ossetia 162 residents of this republic perished, and over 5000 were recognized as victims. The "Interfax" reports that Chairman of the ICPO Alexander Bastrykin has told about it today.

On December 18, the building of "Memorial" hosted a meeting of representatives of Georgian and Russian public held within a visit organized by the Public Chamber of Russia. The meeting discussed the ways to overcome the humanitarian catastrophe in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

International human rights organizations are seeing after the fate of Rasul Kudaev, an inmate of the SIZO of Kabardino-Balkaria accused under the criminal case on the events of October 13, 2005, in Nalchik.

In case his demand to release all political prisoners before the New Year remains unfulfilled, Sarkis Atspanyan will refuse drinking water. Now, he is on his termless hunger strike in SIZO "Vardashen".

The NGO in Nagorno-Karabakh called "Centre of Civil Initiatives" (CCI) has made its annual report, which notes that the organization will henceforth deal with rehabilitation problems of the families of missing people, prisoners of war and former hostages.

Today the advocates of the defendants in the "Case of Seven" have made a statement, in which they assert that the authorities of Armenia organized a number of provocations during today's court session. According to Ovik Arsenyan, advocate of Alexander Arzumanyan, the reinforced securities at the court building, redressed policemen who filled the courtroom by one third and verbal skirmishes in the courtroom allow asserting use of provocations.

The "Caucasian Knot" presents a video story by Zurab Tsechoev, employee of the Human rights organization "Mashr", kidnapped this July by FSB agents in Ingushetia, telling the details of the incident.

Alla Vasilieva, Ombudsperson for the rights of the child in the Rostov Region, has addressed the Regional Prosecutor's Office asking to react to the illegal, in her opinion, decision of the Mayor of Novocherkassk, restricting the stay of children outdoor late in the evening without accompanying adults.

Today, the office of the administration of the Krasnodar Territory has registered an appeal to the Governor of the Territory Alexander Tkachov, in which ecologists demand to stop felling the Utrish. The appeal was accompanied by the signatures that ecologists managed to gather in the course of the picket held near the administration under the motto: "Save Utrish!"

In Azerbaijan, Isakhan Ashurov, advocate of satirical poet Sakit Zakhidov (Mirza Sakit), employee of the "Azadlyg" newspaper who is serving his imprisonment, has addressed the Nariman District Court of Baku with a petition to consider the possibility of early relief for his client.

The organizers and participants of protest actions in the city of Zverevo, Rostov Region, experience amplified pressure from local authorities. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Valery Dyakonov, Deputy of Zverevo City Duma.

Zurab Estoev, a resident of Ingushetia and now one of the inmates of the temporary isolation facility (the so-called "IVS") in the city of Nalchik, complains of oppressions from the IVS administration. Estoev's relatives told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.

The murder of Chechen activist Imran Gaziev (Umar Gazi), accomplished on November 18, 2007, in Baku, remains unsolved until now. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by Isa Akhyadov, Chechen human rights activist who lives in Azerbaijan.