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In Makhachkala, the mass detentions prove not the high level of protest activity, but the zeal of the police who follow the instructions of the federal centre, suggest Magomed Magomedov and Gadjimurad Sagitov, editors-in-chief of local newspapers.

Oppositionists, activists and businessmen have held protests in Tbilisi demanding to cancel coronavirus restrictions. Authorities continue using quarantine measures for political purposes despite the fact that during the pandemic the Georgian economy has lost about 20 percent, analysts assert.

The number of prison deaths has dropped four-fold, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Armenia has reported. To assess the mortality statistics, we should study what has contributed to the above drop, Arthur Sakunts, a human rights defender, has stated.

Three out of four students from Ingushetia, accused by Egyptian authorities of extremism, have been extradited to Russia; diplomats are negotiating the transfer of the fourth one.

Chechen authorities have released the 14-year-old native of Derbent as a result of a campaign in media and social networks, the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper writes. The girl's mother recorded the talks with law enforcers and officials; she has gathered materials that refuted the version that her daughter was not kept in Chechnya.

Repeated summons of Makhachkala residents detained on January 23 to police stations, as well as law enforcers visits to them, are an attempt to intimidate activists, lawyers believe.

In Moscow, during a protest action in support of Alexei Navalny, one of the natives of Kalmykia hit a law enforcer, while another protestor hit a police inspector with a car, investigators say.

Residents of the Martakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh need an alternative route of communication with Armenia not to make a circle along the byroad, say taxi drivers from Stepanakert. The road through Kelbadjar, which activists seek to open, was not damaged during the hostilities, reports Gagik Bagunts, Vice-Speaker of the Karabakh parliament.

Baku seeks to show that following the military successes, Azerbaijan is also implementing programmes for the peaceful restoration of territories. Meanwhile, the society meets with enthusiasm the propaganda of victories and achievements.

The protests on January 23 became the largest in the past quarter century, journalist Sergey Smirnov reports. The main motive for participation in the protest actions is social discontent, while the political component has faded into the background, political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko suggests.

In 2020, in Armenia, the number of cases when force had been used against journalists and media had experienced pressure from the authorities increased against the background of the martial law declared in the autumn of 2020 and restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. This was announced by the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression.

The decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the claim of Georgia on the actions of Russian militaries in South Ossetia and Abkhazia will in no way affect the status of these regions and the recognition of their independence, political analysts believe.

Employees of budgetary institutions in Chechnya have reported that their bosses are forcing them to register on the Instagram and leave critical comments under negative posts about authorities.

The action held by relatives and friends of Inal Djabiev continues in Tskhinvali, despite the frosty weather. The protesters have noted that several policemen monitor them every day, but there are no conflicts with them. Anatoly Bibilov, the South-Ossetian president, decided to convene an extraordinary parliament session; some MPs of which support Djabiev's relatives and boycott the sessions.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has urgently sent questions to the applicant and Russian authorities about the state protection of Gulli Kazanbieva, a resident of Dagestan, after the release of her ex-husband, who was convicted of beating.

Sofia Pilyukova, the deputy coordinator of Navalny's office in Krasnodar, and four other activists have been arrested for up to five days. Their advocates assert that law enforcers are presenting ordinary activists as protest organizers.

A Chechen authorities' positive opinion will be a weighty argument during the trial of the young man who had beaten up law enforcers during the rally of Navalny's supporters in Moscow, lawyers believe. In exchange for a softer verdict, officials expect public repentance of the young Chechen guy, Svetlana Gannushkina and Ruslan Kutaev believe.

Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh fear that in case if an alternative road is open between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan may achieve the closure of the Lachin corridor. Some of the Nagorno-Karabakh residents doubt that travels through the territory controlled by Azerbaijan would be safe.

The Russian President states that a palace from the journalistic investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF, recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) does not belong to him or any of his relatives.

A 14-year-old girl from Derbent, who had been kept for more than three months by the law enforcement bodies in Grozny, returned to her homeland, Instagram users report. Social network users argued about the behaviour of her mother, whom Magomed Daudov declared guilty of her daughter's early marriage to a "terrorist."