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On December 10, the UVD (Interior Department) of the city of Anapa and the Azov-Black Sea Nature Protection Prosecutor's Office suspended the construction of the Sukko-Utrish Highway in the "Bolshoi Utrish" Reserve.

The Supreme Court of Chechnya has received a criminal case against five residents of the Republic accused of kidnappings with the aim to extort ransom. They were presented charges on a number of articles of the Criminal Code.

On December 10 in Moscow, the A. D. Sakharov Museum and Public Centre hosted the Conference of Human Rights Organizations of Russia dated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

On December 10 Ingushetia set up the Public Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic, as reported by Magomed Mutsolgov, human rights activist and member of the Board of Experts under Russian Ombudsman.

The Department of the Russian Committee for Supervision over Communications ("Rossvyazkomnadzor") has finished the revision of the observance by the newspaper "Time of Actions", published in the Dagestan city of Derbent, of the legislation on mass media. According to the Department's conclusion, the paper had published articles with appeals to extremist activities.

Baku has hosted the Second Forum "On Situation with Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Azerbaijan". It was initiated by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) of Azerbaijan and dated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights activists assert that violations of human rights in the country are still of mass character.

Nino Burdzhanadze, ex-speaker of Georgian parliament calls for early presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia to be held in spring of 2009.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has re-confirmed the legality of arms deliveries to Georgia, treating the opposing statements as slander.

Ingushetia has commemorated FSB Lieutenant Colonel Alikhan Kalimatov, who perished while performing his duties. In his memory, School No. 4 in Ordzhonikidzevskaya village, Sunzha District of the republic, where he was a pupil, has installed a memorial board.

The Belarusian parliament can consider the issue of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2009. Sergey Maskevich, head of the parliamentary commission for international matters and relations with the CIS, has expressed this opinion today.

The international human rights organization "Reporters without Borders" has expressed its regret that Ganimat Zakhidov, editor of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom) published in Azerbaijan, and his brother satirist Sakit Zakhidov (Mirza Sakit) were returned behind the bars despite numerous appeals of their relatives, friends and human rights activists with demands to pardon them.

The kidnapping of Ilaev brothers in Pervomaiskoe village was preceded by a skirmish between power agents with two supposed militants, some of the villagers assert.

At the trial on Anna Politkovskaya's murder, the General Prosecutor's Office has passed over to presenting evidences on the episode, not related to the murder of the journalist.

Today, on December 10, activist of the opposition Vardan Malkhasyan, a veteran of the Karabakh War, has been released after his two years of imprisonment at the criminal corrective establishment "Vardashen". Mr Malkhasyan, one of the leaders of the organization "Rallying of Armenian Volunteers", was arrested in December 2006 and found guilty under Article 301 of the Criminal code of Armenia - "Appeals to violent overthrow of power".

The Nazran Court in Ingushetia today has again refused to consider the petition lodged by the family of Magomed Evloev, perished owner of the website "Ingushetia.Ru", demanding to re-qualify the case of the oppositionist's murder to the article of the Criminal Code, which provides punishment for a murder.

The Internet Forum of Azerbaijan (IFA) has made a statement in the context of the intention of the National Television and Radio Board (NTRB) to stop broadcasting in local frequencies of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America and BBC.

In the Krasnodar Territory, ecologists plan to object to the plans, according to which the "Bolshoi Utrish" Wildlife Reserve near the city of Anapa should be cut apart by a road; and its most distant parts will become accessible for motor vehicles.

Today, at the process on the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia has demonstrated to jurymen two driver's licenses to different names which, under the version of the accusation, were used by accused Rustam Makhmudov, now announced into search.

Today, at the trial on the events on October 13, 2005, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has announced its decision on the challenges of the candidates for the jury. Out of 46 candidates for the jurymen, who came to the third selection round, only one was chosen.

The special investigatory group, engaged in investigating the events of March 1 in Yerevan, referred in its work to Criminal Case No. 62202708, the excitation and closing of which cannot be found in any documented evidence. This was stated today at a press conference by Avetis Avagyan, spokesman of the Central Office of the Armenian National Congress.