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Elchin Mamed, an Azerbaijani human rights defender and a journalist has refused to eat while demanding his release from jail. Mr Mamed, who is suffering from serious illnesses, has decided to go on a hunger strike because he has despaired of gaining freedom, human rights defenders have noted.

In Tbilisi, protesters demand a meeting with the US ambassador aiming to tell him about the state of health of Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia, and ask for help in setting Saakashvili free. His health condition has worsened, an oppositional MP has informed.

In recent days, the situation on the contact line near the village of Khramort has been calm; several families have returned to the village, but agrarian works can't be performed, the administration of the Askeran District of Nagorno-Karabakh has reported.

Despite its progress from the 167th to 154th place in the World Press Freedom Index, Azerbaijan remains among the countries with a non-free press.

An oppositional rally held in France Square in Yerevan gathered up to 7000 people, the police have informed. After Nikol Pashinyan's resignation, an interim government will be formed, Ishkhan Sagatelyan, an oppositional MP, has stated.

According to a journalistic investigation conducted by the “Vazhnye Istorii” (Important Stories)*, associates of Ramzan Kadyrov own apartments and villas in Dubai worth from hundreds of thousands to several million US dollars.

In Yerevan, 209 activists were detained for failure to obey the police, and 28 more people were taken to police stations in the regions of Armenia, the Armenia police reported.

Djalil Zabidov, an activist of the “Democracy-1918” movement, was detained, and the police used physical methods of influence, demanding from him to stop criticism of the authorities, the activist himself said. The police announced that Djalil Zabidov tried to disrupt an exam.

Today, 155 protesters have been detained in Yerevan for failure to obey the police, and 14 more activists have been detained in the Gegarkunik and Ararat Regions.

There were no grounds to extend the house arrest for the blogger, Insa Lander, from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), Dmitry Zakhvatov, an advocate, has stated. Insa's friends have opened a fundraiser to pay for her rented housing.

By congratulating Adam Delimkhanov, a Russsian State Duma MP from Chechnya, on being awarded the title of Hero of Russia after his return from Ukraine, Ramzan Kadyrov has emphasized his and Chechen authorities' loyalty to the Kremlin, analysts believe.

During the disobedience actions staged by the Armenian opposition in Yerevan, law enforcers detained 70 people. All the detainees are charged with disobedience to the police.

Oppositionists have blocked several streets in Yerevan demanding the resignation of the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan. In order to unblock the traffic, law enforcers began detaining protesters.

The deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have expressed their concern about the growing level of violence in Azerbaijan and threats against journalists.

In Yerevan, protesters held a march demanding the resignation of the Armenian government headed by Nikol Pashinyan. They called on supporters to paralyze on May 3 the traffic throughout the country.

Said-Mukhammad Djumaev, a native of Chechnya, sentenced to five years for using violence against law enforcers, has been transferred to Correctional Colony No. 2 in the city of Pokrov, Vladimir Region, where Alexei Navalny* is serving his sentence.

Soldier Maxim Grigoriev from Bataysk perished in Ukraine, and his relatives were handed over the Order of Courage. Since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, it has been reported about the deaths of at least 10 natives of the Rostov Region.

Dagestani journalists held three solo pickets in Makhachkala with the demand to release Abdulmumin Gadjiev. The picketers advocated the release of political prisoners.

The Armenian opposition announced the unjustified use of force by the police during protests in Yerevan, and journalists also complained about the aggression of the police.

Today, a festive collective namaz (prayer) has taken place in mosques of Dagestan on the occasion of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the republic’s Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) reports. In other regions of Southern Russia, the Muftiates also announced prayers for the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.