Court upholds arrest extension of Ingush activists May 20, 2021 15:16 A court in Stavropol has upheld the extension of the arrest of Ingush protest leaders accused of creating an extremist community. The defence intends to appeal against this decision.
HRC "Memorial' demands to investigate kidnapping of Argun resident May 20, 2021 15:12 Akraman Tataev, a resident of the city of Argun, was kidnapped by law enforcers and ill-treated; he is exhausted and on the verge of suicide, his mother has stated.
Armenia blames Azerbaijan for disrupting talks May 20, 2021 15:09 Azerbaijani officials have failed to appear at the next round of negotiations on the situation at the border, the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated. Yerevan agrees to discuss the border demarcation only after complete withdrawal of Azerbaijani military from the disputed territories.
Relatives of the author of comment to Kadyrov apologize May 20, 2021 15:07 A 15-year-old teenager from Dagestan who lives in the Moscow Region left a comment on Ramzan Kadyrov's live broadcast. Apologies for the poor upbringing of his son were brought by his father and other relatives, the "Grozny" TV Channel has informed.
European Parliament calls on Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide May 20, 2021 11:35 With the aim of further reconciliation of the two nations, the European Parliament has urged Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
Rights defenders worry about fate of Chechen Ismailov, deported from France May 20, 2021 11:25 Mansur Ismailov, deported from France, risks his health and life in Russia, human rights defenders believe. They treat his extradition as illegal, since the man has been tortured in Chechnya, while the medicines he needs are available only in France.
Human rights defenders consider Kadyrov’s answer to Instagram user a threat of murder May 19, 2021 23:59 Ramzan Kadyrov’s threats against a user who called him a “shaitan” (demon) fall under the murder threat clause. However, even if the Instagram user or human rights defenders file a complaint, the Chechen Prosecutor’s Office will ignore it, the human rights defenders note.
Dagestani fighter Nurmagomedov ignores a challenge to a duel with an “Akhmat” fighter May 19, 2021 23:58 The leader of Chechnya says his proposal to Dagestani fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov to hold a duel with a fighter from the “Akhmat” league was a spontaneous move. In their comments, social media users note that the Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement about Khabib Nurmagomedov contained no insults. The fighter ignored the challenge.
Defence points to bias of trial of Ingush activists May 19, 2021 13:41 More than half of the prosecution witnesses in the case of Ingush activists have abandoned their claims against the defendants; however, everything develops towards a guilty verdict to be passed by the court, said Djabrail Kuriev, an advocate.
Russia offers mediation in demarcation of Armenian-Azerbaijani border May 19, 2021 13:38 To resolve the conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan should set up a commission to fix the border; Moscow is ready to act as a mediator, said Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.
Azerbaijani political analysts predict peaceful settlement of Syunik conflict May 19, 2021 12:42 The rhetoric around the situation in the Syunik Region of Armenia will be followed by agreements, since the conflict escalation is out of the plans of either Yerevan or Baku, political analysts believe.
Georgian rights defenders criticize Patriarchy for its position on Dmanisi conflict May 19, 2021 12:39 Dmanisi is a region with an unfavourable ethnic balance; while the conflict of Svans with Azerbaijanis was fuelled by external forces, said Andriy Djagmaidze, the spokesman for the Georgian Patriarchate. He was criticized by human rights defenders, who called on the Patriarchy not to incite ethnic hatred in the society.
Exhibitions in Stepanakert museums remind local residents of lost heritage May 19, 2021 12:33 On the International Museum Day, exhibitions and lectures were held in Nagorno-Karabakh on the cultural heritage. The Shushi State Museum of Fine Arts presented an exhibition of 90 paintings that Armenia managed to preserve after the last autumn war. The problem of preserving the cultural heritage is especially acute today, visitors of the exhibitions have stated.
Over 600 Russians return from Azerbaijan through corridor in Dagestan in two days May 19, 2021 12:25 On May 17-18, a total of 639 Russian citizens, who had to stay in Azerbaijan due to the pandemic, returned to their homeland through the customs checkpoint in Dagestan.
Analysts assess chances of de-anonymizing the author of negative comment on Kadyrov May 19, 2021 12:19 The author of the comment, who called Ramzan Kadyrov a "shaitan", can be identified by the content or data in social networks, experts in cyber security believe. Such statements by Kadyrov are quite serious; the commentator is in real danger, Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender, believes.
Karabakh residents accuse Azerbaijani armed forces of a shelling attack on a village May 18, 2021 23:56 The Azerbaijani armed forces shelled the Tagavard village, which territory is split by the demarcation line after the war. This was reported by Sevak Khachatryan, the deputy head of the village. Residents of the Tagavard community tried to protest and block the road along which the Azerbaijani military convoys were moving.
Instagram users criticize Kadyrov for threatening author of a negative comment May 18, 2021 23:54 A promise of Ramzan Kadyrov to destroy an author of the comment, who called him a “shaitan” (demon), is not appropriate for the person with the status of the leader of the region, Instagram users note. Their opponents argue that the reaction of the leader of Chechnya to the anonymous insult is understandable.
French authorities ban Chechen native Gadaev from returning to country May 18, 2021 22:57 The French authorities banned Magomed Gadaev, a deported Chechen native, from returning to the country and explained their decision by his suspected connections with a radical movement. The Magomed Gadaev’s defence lodged a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in connection with the fact that the French authorities ignored complaints about the threat to the Magomed Gadaev’s life.
In Armenia, residents of border villages urge authorities to arm them May 18, 2021 22:54 Several groups of Azerbaijani soldiers left the territory of Armenia, but some of them remain in their new positions. The close deployment of the Azerbaijani troops alarmed residents of the Syunik Region, and they called on the local authorities to provide them with firearms.
Rioters in Georgian Dmanisi announce parties' reconciliation May 18, 2021 17:04 Residents of the city of Dmanisi have reconciled and agreed not to admit continuation of riots. Despite the announcement about the end of conflict, reinforced police units are still on duty in the city.