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Boris Zumakulov, Ombudsman of Kabardino-Balkaria, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the number of complaints and applications addressed to him is on the rise. At the same time, according to his story, the republic sees a positive trend towards greater openness and transparency of the work of various law-enforcement bodies.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) possesses information that Russia has sent an extradition request to Egypt in relation to Ibragim Mankiev, a native of Ingushetia, because he was slandered by someone under torture. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt about it from Natalia Prilutskaya, an AI employee.

Militia Major Alexei Dymovskiy from Novorossisk has stated that militia bosses from his city issued orders on how to counteract human rights activists. This was stated by Vadim Karastelyov, an expert of the Novorossisk Committee for Human Right, who is Dymovskiy's official representative.

The two-day international conference, opened on December 10 in the Baku "Europe" Hotel, is on development of the civil society in Azerbaijan. Officers from power agencies are not taking part.

Marat Valeev, the figurant of the murder criminal case of Paul Khlebnikov, editor-in-chief of the Russian version of the Forbes magazine, shot dead on July 9, 2004, was set free. The accusation failed to prove his involvement in the murder of the journalist.

On December 9, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, presided by Judge Ilham Dzhafarov, considered the cassation complaint of three journalists of the "Nota" newspaper convicted for slander. The complaint was denied.

On December 8, the North-Caucasian Military Regional Court upheld the decision of the Grozny Military Court passed in October on illegality of inspector's refusal to present case materials to advocate Yuri Kastanov who represented the interests of Katyr-Yurt villagers from Chechnya.

The investigation of the case dealing with kidnapping and subsequent murder of Zarema Sadulayeva, head of the public organization "Let's Save the Generation", and her husband Alik Dzhabrailov is run at a poor level. This is the opinion of the victims' colleagues and friends. Besides, they assert that Victor Ledenyov, head of the Investigatory Committee of Russia for Chechnya, just repeats the earlier expressed version of Chechen President.

In the context of the World Day of Human Rights, marked today, the US State Department has rewarded Maksharip Aushev from Ingushetia, assassinated in October 2009, among the two, in their opinion, outstanding activists of the human rights movement.

The International Organization Against Torture (IOAT) plans to hold protest actions demanding to release from imprisonment in Azerbaijan Mushvig Guseinov, a journalist of the employee of the newspaper "Bizim Yol" (Our Way), who suffers from tuberculosis. This is stated in the letter sent to the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD).

Surgeons from the medical centre "Erebuni" from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, are in Sochi for their charitable actions. On December 7, at the local children's hospital they made an operation to correct a congenital lip defect to Mikhail Avdzhan, a six-year old Sochi resident. Within the next few days they plan to make three similar surgeries more.

A criminal case against two natives of Chechnya detained in the context of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train was opened because two dozes of hashish were found in the pockets of both of them.

Today at night, at about 2 a.m., a fire happened in the office of the Board of Elders of the Balkar People (BEBP). It was extinguished by the fire-fighting service of the Ministry for Emergencies of Kabardino-Balkaria. According to BEBP's the office equipment and furniture burnt down.

According to Georgiy Kabisov, chairman of the State Committee of Informatization and Communications of South Ossetia, the broadcasting of Radio Liberty in the territory of South Ossetia is illegal. In his opinion, there are all grounds to bring an action against the radio station.

On December 8, under the order received from Moscow President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov was interrogated in Grozny under the slander criminal case initiated against Oleg Orlov, head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

On December 10, the Day of Human Rights Defender, 30 human rights organizations from the countries of South Caucasus prepare to hold a campaign entitled "Lobbing the European Union's Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders".

In the near future, Ibragim Mankiev, a resident of Ingushetia, can be extradited to Russia, where he can face torture and other forms of inhuman treatment. As reported by the Amnesty International (AI), he is now in custody in Egypt without the right of communication.

In the opinion of Ilgar Ibragimoglu, head of the DEVAMM (Centre in Defence of Freedom of Conscience and Religion), in 2009, Azerbaijan suffers from a real "crusade" on the freedom of conscience and worship. Today, he has presented the 2009 annual report of his human rights organization.

The Public Movement named "White Tape" is going to place in its website documents and applications of the citizens who have suffered from arbitrariness of law enforcement bodies. This was announced today by Militia Major Alexei Dymovskiy, initiator of the Movement.

Head of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov has stated today at the sitting of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) that in 2009 almost 800 militants and their helpers were detained in Northern Caucasus, but the threat of terror acts in the Russian Federation survives.