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The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, cannot be involved in the collapse of the Arashukov family clan; the collapse is backed up by the people who occupy the imperious Olympus at a much higher level. The Arashukov clan arose within the project of special services; and the criminal prosecution only has led to its downfall, the researchers of the Caucasian believe.

The persecution of the eight leaders of the Magas protest, accused of extremism after peaceful rallies, is incompatible with Russia's international human rights obligations and is contrary to the Russian Constitution, human rights defenders have stated. They have urged Russian authorities to release the activists.

Azerbaijani militaries have killed a shepherd from Chartar, who was captured in the neutral zone, the National Security Service (NSS) of Nagorno-Karabakh has informed. Such incidents discredit the Russia's peacemaking mission, the Karabakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has stated.

On the 28th day of his hunger strike in an Azerbaijani jail, Salekh Rustamov is fainting and has memory problems; he lost 17 kilos of body weight, his advocate has informed.

The earthworks on the Fortanga River, which sparked dispute over the Chechen-Ingush border, are over. The river has been returned to its original bed, the administrations of the border Sernovodsky and Sunzha Districts have informed.

A case on terrorism is under investigation in Karachay-Cherkessia after a special operation in which two suspected militants were killed. Searches and detentions were carried out within the investigation into the case, the FSB Department for Karachay-Cherkessia reported.

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* stopped working on the complaints filed by relatives of the suspects killed in the counterterrorist operation (CTO) in Kabardino-Balkaria, as they stopped cooperating with the human rights defenders. The complainants might refuse any attempts to reveal the real reasons for the deaths of their relatives because of pressure on families, the HRC reports.

Today, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan has reported about an attack on a soldier in the Khodjavend District. The attacker tried to seize a soldier’s firearm.

About 50 people held a protest action in front of the building of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Azerbaijan. The protestors demand to resume the payment of disability pensions or provide disabled people with job.

The statement of the European Union (EU) intelligence service about the existing links of the attempts on lives of Kadyrov's critics with the Russian president looks credible, Ruslan Kutaev has noted. In their turn, Sergey Goncharov and Alexei Malashenko believe that Vladimir Putin is not responsible for the assassination attempts on Chechen bloggers.

Two secret witnesses have stated in court that they had visited a mosque in Makhachkala and listened to the sermons of Israil Akhmednabiev (Abu Umar Sasitlinsky), among whose acquaintances there was a man named Abdulmumin, who called in his articles to raise money for the preacher. The witnesses failed confirm the involvement of Abdulmumin Gadjiev, a journalist of the "Chernovik" (Draft) portal, in financing of terrorism, the advocate has stated.

A two-year conditional imprisonment awarded to a resident of Ingushetia for killing his sister, who has appeared in an operative video about blackmailers' detention, resulted from a wrong qualification of the crime, human rights defenders assert. Facebook users have linked the verdict with indulgence in traditional values.

In his video message recorded after receiving help from the leader of Chechnya, a brother of Akhmed Zakaev notes it makes no sense when migrants criticize Ramzan Kadyrov. The calls to Akhmed Zakaev come against the background of death threats to Khasan Khalitov, another Ramzan Kadyrov’s opponent, who lives in Turkey.

Five activists were detained in connection with a protest action on December 1 in defence of Salekh Rustamov. They were arrested for 10-30 days on the charge of violating quarantine. Advocates state the arrests are unfounded.

After shelling attacks in the direction of the Karmir Shouka (the Azerbaijani name is Qırmızı Bazar, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) community, the Ombudsperson of Nagorno-Karabakh demanded to immediately remove the positions of the Azerbaijani troops from the vicinity of the villages. Residents of the village confirmed a shelling attack from the Azerbaijani side.

A case against three residents of Chechnya has been sent to court. They are accused in a case on the terror act in the village of Znamenskoye, as a result of which 15 people were killed in July 2005.

The State Frontier Service (SFS) of Azerbaijan should give an adequate assessment of the attack by a border guard officer on a member of the film crew covering the farewell ceremony for those who perished in the crash of a military helicopter, the Press Council has stated.

The fate of the three detainees at the action in support of Salekh Rustamov in Baku remains unknown, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has informed. Rustam Ismailbeili, an activist, who was detained after the action, will stand trial today, his sister said.

When Mikhail Saakashvili was in power, Georgia officially recognized the Circassians' genocide, giving Circassian activists the opportunity to defend their rights within the international legal environment, Circassian activists have stated in their appeal to the Georgian President, Salome Zurabishvili. They have urged her to pardon Saakashvili.

A year later, the court has satisfied a complaint of the prosecutor's office and arrested Ashot Minasyan, accused of an attempt on the life of the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan. The prosecutor's speculation that Minasyan could hide or interfere with the inquiry speaks in favour of the version of a political order, Nina Karapetyants believes. The atmosphere of fear reigns in the country's judicial system, Avetik Ishkhanyan has noted.