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The authorities of Russia are guilty of disappearance of Arthur Bersunkaev, a resident of Chechnya, in 2001 and of a heavy injury of Lipatu Umaeva in 2000. This decision was made public today by the European Court on Human Rights.

The European Court on Human Rights has found the authorities of Russia guilty of disappearances of four men, which happened in different districts of Chechnya in the period from May 2001 to November 2002; this was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Arsen Sakalov, Director of the Ingush NGO named "Legal Initiative", which rendered assistance to the applicants.

Today in the morning, unknown persons in masks appeared at the office of the Scientific and Information Centre "Memorial", situated at 23 Rubinshtein Street. They presented a statement of the Prosecutor's Office of St-Petersburg on making a search. Three employees of the "Memorial" were blocked inside the office.

Today in the afternoon, seven workers of the Iki-Burul public utilities enterprise in Kalmykia stopped their protest action in the form of a termless hunger strike.

Today, the city of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has hosted a students' mass protest action against destruction in Georgia of historical and cultural heritage of the Armenian nation, and, first of all, against encroachments on the Armenian Church Surb Norashen in Tbilisi; the action took place at the building housing the UN representative office.

Today, the Committee on Religious Matters under the Government of Dagestan held a press conference. Chairman Ahmed Magomedov met journalists.

The jury has found guilty seven members of the skinhead gang headed by Arthur Ryno and Pavel Skachevskiy. Other two figurants in the case were completely acquitted and released right in the court room.

Sarkis Atspanyan, former participant of the Karabakh war, activist of the opposition, currently a citizen of France, sentenced to two months of deprivation of freedom, has started a termless hunger-strike in prison "Vardashen" in Armenia; he demands to stop the illegal criminal prosecution against him. Mr Atspanyan also protests against tapping his telephone conversations and control of his correspondence.

The Investigatory Committee under the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of Russia has initiated a criminal case on the fact of stealing money from the hostages after the terror act at the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre. The advocate of the suffered party Igor Trunov thinks that by doing so at the Prosecutor's Office tries to hamper consideration of civil suits lodged.

Five ecological organizations have sent a letter to the World Heritage Centre with description of the facts of defaulting by Russia of recommendations of UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) on ensuring safety of the object of the World Natural Heritage "Western Caucasus".

On December 1, at 3 a.m., the house of the Ilaev family located in Pervomaiskaya village, Grozny District of Chechnya, was surrounded by employees of power agencies. Having rushed into the house, some of them dragged brothers Alvi and Adkhan out of their beds and pushed them into the cars, in which the agents arrived. Others searched the house and took away TV and video appliances.

The state prosecution at the process considering the murder case of Anna Politkovskaya has presented the results of comparative examination of video records and the pistol, by which the journalist was killed.

The Russia's leading human rights organizations demand that the European Union (EU) in its negotiations with Russia stop pretending that there was no war in South Caucasus this August.

The Council of Europe (CE) plans to negotiate with the government of Azerbaijan on continuation of broadcasting in local frequencies of radio stations Voice of America, Liberty and BBC.

The Special Investigatory Service of Armenia has sent the so-called "Case of Seven", related to the events of March 1, to the Criminal Court of Yerevan. Seven oppositionists are accused of an attempt of violent overthrow of the existing power.

The person has been established of the member of the armed group killed in a skirmish, when the group attacked militiamen in Makhachkala on November 30. According to the FSB Department for Dagestan, it was Rizvan Kurbanov, 16, an 11th form pupil of a school in the city of Kizilyurt.

Erosi Kitsmarishvili, former ambassador of Georgia to Russia, founder and former head the "Rustavi-2" TV Company, told in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the country leaders had forced him to give away his share in the TV Company a couple of months after "the revolution of roses".

The body of Irina Meboniya, born in 1926, an elderly resident of the village of Nabakevi, Gali District of Abkhazia, was found today in the morning some 500 meters away from her house. She disappeared on November 26, but the neighbours reported the fact to the militia a day later.

Kazbeg Karsanov, Deputy Minister on Special Matters of South Ossetia, has predicted a possible growth of the inflow of refugees from Georgia. Now South Ossetia has over 50 refugees from Georgia. At the same time, after the start of armed conflict, over 350 persons fled from Georgia to Russia via South Ossetia.

Ingushetia is creating an ad hoc commission under the President for operative reaction to human rights violations. It will include representatives of both the authorities and broad public. This was stated by Yunus-Bek Evkurov, new President of Ingushetia, on November 25, during his meeting with members of public organizations of the republic.