News

June 27, 2014 04:21

• Georgia minimizes cases of torture in its penitentiary institutions, participants of Tbilisi conference declare

  On June 26, Tbilisi held the conference devoted to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Lawyers and politicians have discussed measures to prevent torture in places of detention. The participants of the conference have noted that the country has succeeded in that direction.

June 27, 2014 03:30

• Rostov-on-Don: defenders ask Court to acquit Said Amirov and Yusup Djaparov

  In Rostov-on-Don, the North-Caucasian District Military Court held the pleadings at the trial in the case against Said Amirov, Mayor of Makhachkala, temporary dismissed from office, and Yusup Djaparov, former Deputy Mayor of Kaspiysk. The defence has claimed the criminal case had been fabricated and asked the Court to acquit the defendants.

June 27, 2014 00:59

• Human rights defenders believe Pedro Agramunt is not best candidate for position of PACE Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan

  Human rights defenders applaud the resumption of the activities of PACE Rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. However, they believe that Spanish MP Pedro Agramunt, who has been appointed to the position of PACE Rapporteur, is not the best candidate. The human rights defenders declare his loyalty to the authorities of Azerbaijan. In the current situation, Pedro Agramunt is unlikely to mitigate the acute problem of political prisoners. This opinion was expressed by the human rights defenders questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

June 26, 2014 23:26

• Rights defenders: Chechen practice of rewarding for help in solving crimes is fraught with bad consequences

  Promising rewards for information about crimes is a usual practice of law enforcement bodies; however, in realities of Chechnya such initiatives may provoke false denunciations, extrajudicial executions and torture, the rights defenders questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent believe.

June 26, 2014 22:10

• Local kidnapped by armed masked men in Stavropol Territory

  Ruslan Izrailov, born in 1976, a resident of the settlement of Mirny, Stavropol Territory, was kidnapped today in the morning by unidentified masked men in the vicinity of Kislovodsk, said his wife. His wife associates the kidnapping with the repressions against Islam believers in the district.

June 26, 2014 19:44

• Advocate is not admitted to suspects of committing terror act in Pyatigorsk for six months, defence reports

  Gadjimurad Izmailov, a lawyer from the Bar Association "Kavkaz" says that from the moment he entered the case as a defender of two suspects of committing a terror act near the GIBDD (traffic police) building Pyatigorsk on December 27, 2013, he cannot meet his clients.

June 26, 2014 14:21

• Stolyarov, suspended Mayor of Astrakhan, hospitalized; his trial postponed

  Mikhail Stolyarov, the temporarily dismissed Mayor of Astrakhan, accused of receiving a large bribe, was placed into a prison hospital. The today's court session on his case has been postponed, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

June 26, 2014 13:47

• Culture figures ask not to cancel WOMAD Festival in Pyatigorsk

  Russian figures of culture and pop art and show business stars ask not to cancel the North-Caucasian Festival of Ethnic Music WOMAD. The authors of the appeal find it strange that the decisions that affect the peoples' cultural dialogue "are based on personal political estimates."

June 26, 2014 13:43

• ICRF: militants were involved in killing teacher in Dagestan

  Inspectors believe that the murder of Akhtubek Malaev, a teacher from the village of Shauri, Tsuntin District of Dagestan, was committed by the militants of the grouping that acted in the district. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by a source from the Investigating Department for Dagestan of Russia's Investigating Committee.

June 26, 2014 12:43

• Law enforcers report on identification of two suspected militants killed in Dagestan

  This morning, during the special operation conducted in Derbent, a man, who was hiding in a cordoned off house, was killed. One more special operation, during which a man was killed, was conducted in Makhachkala.

June 26, 2014 12:07

• In Rostov-on-Don, prosecutor asks Court to sentence Said Amirov to 13 years of imprisonment

  In Rostov-on-Don, at the North-Caucasian District Military Court, a prosecutor has delivered his speech at the trial on the case against Said Amirov, Mayor of Makhachkala, temporary dismissed from office and accused of plotting a terror act. The prosecutor asked the Court to sentence Said Amirov to 13 years of imprisonment to be served in a high-security penal colony.

June 26, 2014 07:23

• In Rostov Region, journalist of "Dozhd" TV Channel is detained

  In the Rostov Region, Rodion Chepel, a correspondent of the "Dozhd" TV Channel, was detained. This was reported by Pavel Lobkov, a news presenter of the "Dozhd" TV Channel, during an on air news programme broadcasted in the evening of June 25.

June 26, 2014 05:22

• Russian Government: refugee centres accommodate 25,000 Ukrainian citizens, most of them in South of Russia

  Russia has deployed in its territory 262 temporary accommodation centres (TACs) for refugees from Ukraine. And at present, the TACs accommodate about 25,000 people. This was reported by Olga Golodets, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, at the meeting of the Russian President with the Cabinet of Ministers held on June 25. Most of the refugee camps and TACs are located in the regions of southern Russia.

June 26, 2014 02:50

• Court's decision to reopen investigation into beating of advocate is still not fulfilled, Sapiyat Magomedova asserts

  The Investigating Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Dagestan has not yet reopened the investigation into the case against policemen, accused of beating Sapiyat Magomedova, an advocate from Khasavyurt. However, more than two months passed since the date, when the court had pronounced the relevant decision.

June 26, 2014 01:40

• In Georgia, residents of Sagarejo District report on threat of disruption of water supply because of oil production

  On June 20, residents of the Sagarejo District located in the eastern part of Georgia held an action to protest against operations for oil production near a source of drinking water. According to the protesters, in the case if the Polish company conducts blasting operations, the population of the Sagarejo District will be deprived of drinking water supply.

June 25, 2014 20:29

• Armenia: court leaves Tigran Petrosyan behind bars

  Today, a court in Yerevan that is considering the case of Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, and other participants of the "Million Mask March" on November 5, 2013, accused of hooliganism, has decided to leave Tigran Petrosyan, one of the defendants, in custody, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

June 25, 2014 15:20

• Refugees from Ukraine are satisfied with living conditions in KBR (+video)

  The refugees from Ukraine who arrived in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) report that local residents and authorities render them all the necessary assistance and create comfortable living conditions.

June 25, 2014 12:45

• In Makhachkala, combat engineers defuse powerful bomb

  In Makhachkala, combat engineers have defused an explosive device that was planted near a house of a local resident engaged in the production of fodder for livestock. This was reported by an official of the Operational Headquarters.

June 25, 2014 07:30

• Bibilov: Parliament of South Ossetia to prepare referendum on accession to Russia

  Anatoly Bibilov, the speaker of the South-Ossetian Parliament said that after the final formation of the legislative body, the MPs will start preparing a referendum on the accession to Russia.

June 25, 2014 03:59

• Armenian Ombudsman requires police to reason use of force during protest action

  In Armenia, the Ombudsman demands from the police to explain the fact of clash between law enforcers and activists during a protest action against rise in prices for electricity. The Ombudsman has called the police actions unprofessional. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.