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Moscow municipal court dismissed a cassation appeal of the advocates of former militiaman Sergey Khadzhykurbanov, who was declared not guilty in the journalist Anna Politkovskaya murder case but then sentenced to eight years in prison for extortion money from a key witness.

The European human rights court (EHRC) in Strasbourg has fined Russia to the sum of 225 000 euro for disappearance and death of habitants of Chechnya, the released court communique informs today. Relatives of the disappeared people repeatedly applied to the Russian judicial bodies but were not satisfied with their decisions. In the claimants' opinion, the local courts failed to investigate properly the circumstances of their relatives' disappearance.

Akhmed Rabadanov, habitant of the Village of Novy Kostek, who was killed on 26 March and who is considered the accomplice of the suicide bombers blown themselves up at Moscow metro stations on 29 March, had nothing to do with this crime, said one of Rabadanov's fellow-villagers to the Caucasus Knot correspondent on condition of strict anonymity.

The situation in Mursalli village and surrounding area (Azerbaijan), where in the evening on May 10 the Kura River washed off a dam, remains strained. Dashgyn Agaev, a resident of the village, said today in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that water continues to advance. The situation is also heavy in the Salyan District, where the water level would not go down. Deputies from the opposition accuse officials of having done nothing to prevent the tragedy.

On May 10, militiamen of the Kurganinsk District, Krasnodar Territory, made use of their service firearms to sooth down a group of young men. As a result of the incident two persons were wounded, one of them later died in hospital. According to preliminary data, earlier law enforcement bodies received information that a big group of youth was to rally in the place of incident for their showdowns.

The Prosecutor's Office of North Ossetia now checks the statements made by Ali-Hadji Evteev, Mufti of the republic, in his interview for the presence of extremism: he said that he approves the jihad, and that the ideologists of North-Caucasian separatists were his teachers.

Shota Utiashvili, head of the information-analytical service of the MIA of Georgia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the family of Malkhaz Gulashvili, founder of the radical "National Orthodox Movement" and the media holding "Georgian Times", was not persecuted by the police.

The South-Ossetian civil society is notable by its critical backwardness in development, dissociation and extreme form of opposition to the authorities. This is the opinion of the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), working today in South Ossetia. In the opinion of Sarmat Parastaev, chairman of the citizens' forum of South Ossetia, in spite of it, "people still try to start dialogue with the authorities." President Eduard Kokoity also expresses his intention to hold open dialogue and discuss the problems of democracy development.

Media people of Azerbaijan are sceptical to the idea of "stopping hostile actions in the information environment" between Azerbaijani and Armenian mass media, offered by Gegam Bagdasaryan, President of the Stepanakert Press Club.

At today's trial on the 2005 Nalchik attack the defendants and defense applied for return of case to the Supreme Court Chairman of Kabardino-Balkaria with a view of its consideration by the jury trial. Application was made by the defendant Azamat Akhkubekov and his advocate Magomed Abubakarov.

In Krasnodar, militia dismissed a charge against Anastasia Denisova, Head of ETnIKA , Krasnodarsky human rights organization, who was accused in unlawful use of pirated software versions.

To Tverskoy court of Moscow there was brought the first claim for 5 million rubles for moral damage to the child, whose parents were killed in the terrorists' attack in Lubyanka metro station on 29 March.

The TV Company named "The Public Broadcaster of Georgia" (PBG) has hired the German company named "GfK Group" to conduct exit polls at the election of Tbilisi Mayor on May 30.

The international organization in defence of the press "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB) has expressed its concern of the attempts of the government of Azerbaijan to introduce control over the Internet before the parliamentary elections to take place in November 2010.

Today, the head of the FSB (Federal Security Bureau) of Dagestan has announced that Teimur Gulmetov and Sadula Chiruglanov, who were killed on May 9 during a special operation in Derbent, were organizers of the terror act on May 7 at the Derbent railway station; while the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan reported detention of five militants' helpers.

The presentation of historical research works prepared by senior school pupils on the topic "Person in History. Russia - 20th Century", which was held on May 4 in Moscow, was attended by pupils from different regions of the Russian Federation.

Gegam Bagdasaryan, President of the Stepanakert Press Club and editor-in-chief of the analytical monthly "Analyticon", made an appeal addressed to the heads of mass media and journalistic organizations of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh urging them to stop their hostile actions in the information domain starting from the midnight on May 12, 2010, - the day of the armistice concluded between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

The NGO named "Transparency International" (TI) has presented in Brussels its new report assessing the measures undertaken by the authorities of Georgia under the action plan within the European Policy of Neighbourhood.

On May 8, OMON (Special Militia) fighters illegally rushed in Makhachkala into the apartment of Albina Magomedova, a member of the board of the regional public association "Pravozaschita" (Legal Assistance). This was reported by the leaders of the association; while the MIA of Dagestan failed to explain the reason of the special operation.

The Tbilisi City Court has ruled to punish seven participants of the incident in the premises of the "Kavkasiya" TV Channel that happened in the evening on May 7 by two months of pre-trial custody.