All news

The Federation of Circassian Hases of Turkey (KAFFED), which unites representatives of all Caucasian nations, condoles with Natalia Estemirova's relatives and friends and condemns the customers and executors of her murder.

Konstantin Baranov, leader of the Rostov-on-Don branch of the all-Russian organization "Young Europe", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was summoned to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in the context of his statements that appeared in media about threats, which he receives from neo-Nazis.

In the nearest two weeks, all the administrative buildings, commercial sites and other throngs of citizens in Grozny will be equipped with video surveillance cameras.

In Ingushetia, in Ordzhonikidzevskaya village, today, at about 3:00 a.m., a shop that was selling alcohol beverages among other things was blown up. There were no victims, but the building was strongly damaged.

A high-ranking source in power agencies of the Southern Federal District has reported that the investigation had defined a circle of suspects of murdering Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the HRC "Memorial".

Residents of Sochi Nuriet and Zarema Achmizova have lodged a complaint to the military public prosecutor of the Sochi garrison against Roman Nistratov who had humiliated, in their opinion, the national dignity of local residents of Golovinka settlement and members of Sochi national minority - Shapsugs (Adygs).

The International Federation of Human Rights (French abbreviation - FIDH) expresses its concern about the departure of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" from the Chechen Republic. The leaders of the Federation believe that the absence of "Memorial" in the republic will create a failure in defence of human rights.

Rashid Aluash, adviser of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Russian Federation, believes that by consenting to hold an independent international investigation into Natalia Estemirova's murder, Russian leaders will manifest their commitment to reveal the culprits.

Batyr Albakov, who was kidnapped and later found dead and who was labelled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia as a militant, was killed for the sake of statistics. This opinion was stated by Magomed Khazbiev leader of Ingush opposition. Human rights defenders note many strange things in this murder. Arsen Sakalov, director of the Nazran-based fund "Legal Initiative" said that as a whole, it happens extremely seldom that the kidnapped person is presented as militant.

Members of Azerbaijani NGOs have resolutely condemned the decision of the Baku Appeal Court to uphold the ruling of the Sabail District Court to arrest youth activists and bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Gadjizade for the period of two months.

According to Mikail Ezhiev, leader of the NGO "Human Rights Centre of the Chechen Republic", members of local NGOs treat the murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova as a provocation. In their opinion, its aim was to kindle a military conflict between Chechnya and Ingushetia.

The Tbilisi City Court has ruled to punish Meloru Vachnadze and Henri Bibileishvili, activists of the youth movement named "Join!" and participants of the action at the entrance to the building of Parliament, with a 13-day imprisonment.

The law enforcement bodies engaged in investigating the circumstances of kidnapping and subsequent murder of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the HRC "Memorial", are searching two cars and the young woman, who was in immediate proximity from the place of the incident at the moment of kidnapping.

Maskhud Abdullaev, son of Chechen field commander Supyan Abdullaev, who was deported from Egypt, is now in Grozny and plans to leave for Baku on July 24 to his mother. He told about it to Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance" in a telephone conversation.

At least six or seven persons were kidnapped and illegally detained in the last two-three days in the territory of the Chechen Republic. This was reported by the HRC "Memorial". According to human rights activists, they received this information from a spokesman of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

A well-known human rights activist Mikael Danielyan, head of the Helsinki Association, complained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that custody conditions of Arshaluis Akopyan, an activist of the Association, are very hard.

The Ingush opposition has launched a new website, which will work in the manner of the former "Ingushetia.Ru ", when the deceased Magomed Evloev was its owner. This was stated today by Magomed Khazbiev, one of Ingush oppositionists.

The murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova has pushed Russian emigrants to dynamic actions. They held a rally in Estemirova's memory on July 17 in Paris. Françoise Petre, employee of the Bureau for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that earlier they were rare guests at this sort of actions.

The Grozny office of the HRC "Memorial" has received a cable from Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, in which he condoles on the death of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Centre.

The decision of the leadership of the HRC "Memorial" to suspend the work of the Centre in Chechnya is ambiguously treated in the republic. Some people find it reasonable, while others express fear that suspension of the human rights organization will untie hands of power agents, who have recently sharply strengthened their punitive and repressive actions.