News

May 28, 2014 01:35

• In Azerbaijan, defence of Facebook user Abdula Abilov intends to challenge verdict of guilty

  Khalid Bagirov, an advocate of Abdula Abilov, a creator of the "Stop toadies!" Facebook group, who had been sentenced in Azerbaijan to 5.5 years of imprisonment on charges of drug trafficking, announces the intention to file an appeal against the verdict.

May 27, 2014 22:24

• President of Abkhazia upholds dismissal of CoM, General Public Prosecutor and heads of two districts

  In Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a few thousand people took part in the anti-government rally demanding resignation of President Alexander Ankvab. After the rally, some of them started storming the building of the presidential administration.

May 27, 2014 20:34

• Frontier Service of Ukraine: one person wounded in shooting on border with Rostov Region

  Today, Ukrainian border guards have registered a breakthrough of armed men in cars from the Rostov Region into Ukraine. Local patrol opened a fight with them, as a result, one person was wounded, the State Frontier Service of Ukraine has reported.

May 27, 2014 17:28

• Donetsk Mayor: residents of Chechnya are among 43 wounded in ATO

  Hospitals of the city of Donetsk (Ukraine) are treating 43 persons who suffered in the course of the antiterrorist operation (ATO), including eight Russian citizens permanently residing in the cities of Grozny, Gudermes and Moscow, said the Mayor of Donetsk Alexander Lukyanchenko at a press conference held on May 27.

May 27, 2014 15:37

• Dagestan: defendant at trial of "honour killing" partially admits his guilt

  At the session of the Kizilyurt District Court, the defendant Kasum Magomedov, accused of murdering his niece, has partially admitted his guilt, saying that he had committed the crime in the heat of passion. Under petition of the defence, the court has appointed his psychological and psychiatric examination.

May 27, 2014 15:35

• Defence in Politkovskaya's murder case demands to nullify jury's verdict

  Today, at the Moscow City Court (MCC), the advocates of the figurants in the murder case of Anna Politkovskaya, an observer of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, have demanded to quash the guilty verdict handed down by the jurors on May 20, dissolve the jury and send the case for retrial.

May 27, 2014 14:44

• Dagestani Prosecutor's Office challenges verdict to seven militants who surrendered under guarantees of Adaptation Commission

  The Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan has challenged the verdict passed to seven members of the "Southern" grouping of militants, who had surrendered under the guarantee of the Adaptation Commission of militants. The Prosecutor's Office treats the verdict pronounced by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan as too lenient.

May 27, 2014 14:39

• Georgia collects 15,000 signatures under demand to adopt amendments to anti-discrimination law

  In Georgia, activists have collected 15,000 signatures under the demand to adopt amendments to the anti-discrimination law and to adopt a new law prohibiting propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation. This has been announced today by Mikhail Andguladze, a member of the Society of Noble Families.

May 27, 2014 14:34

• Baku court sentences founder of "Stop toadies!" Facebook group to 5.5 years in prison

  Azerbaijani court has sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment Abdula Abilov, a founder of the "Stop toadies!" Facebook group, who was accused of drug trafficking. Abdula Abilov has pleaded not guilty. He has claimed being prosecuted for political reasons.

May 27, 2014 10:47

• Alikhan Kuzgov: Sagopshi villagers ignore authorities' call to confess of their help to militants

  On May 24, the authorities of Ingushetia have called on Ingush residents, who were rendering assistance to militants in Sagopshi, to voluntarily come to the law enforcement agencies within the three-day term. However, the Ingush residents did not respond to the authorities' call. This was reported by Alikhan Kuzgov, Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Ingushetia.

May 27, 2014 08:47

• Court arrests Aslan Natov detained during special operation in KBR

  On May 26, Aslan Natov, a resident of the city of Baksan of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), who was detained during the special operation, was arrested by the decision of the Baksan City Court. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Ruslan Natov, the brother of the arrested man.

May 27, 2014 04:01

• In Armenia, court leaves retired Colonel Volodya Avetisyan in custody

  The court of general jurisdiction of first instance of the administrative districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeitun has dismissed the motions filed by the defence of retired Colonel Volodya Avetisyan, a Karabakh War veteran, accused of fraud, and left him in custody. Advocate Ara Zakaryan has announced that he will challenge the court's decision at the Council of Justice of Armenia.

May 26, 2014 23:25

• Experts doubt the need to create self-defence units in Sogratl

  Residents of the village of Sogratl, Gunib District of Dagestan, are drafting regulations for self-defence units and compile lists of members thereof, as Amirkhan Magomeddadaev, the deputy of the Dagestani presidential envoy to the Mountain Territorial District, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The need to create such units is questionable, experts say.

May 26, 2014 19:56

• Azerbaijani journalist Mirkadyrov behind bars again

  Rauf Mirkadyrov, an Azerbaijani journalist, who is under inquiry and who was temporarily released from custody to attend the funeral of his father, today is back in the detention facility, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports. The defence is preparing an appeal complaint, said the lawyer Mamedli.

May 26, 2014 18:29

• Azerbaijan: Anar Mamedli sentenced to 5.5 years in prison

  On May 26, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Anar Mamedli, the head of the Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Training (CEM&DT), to 5.5 years in prison; and activists Bashir Suleimanly – to 3.5 years in prison, and Elnur Mamedov – also to 3.5 years, but conditionally with a probation period of 2 years, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

May 26, 2014 18:08

• Sochi Akhshtyr villagers complain about absence of water and poor ecological state of the district (+video)

  On May 25, about 60 residents of the village of Akhshtyr held in Sochi a rally in the format of a meeting with Igor Vasiliev, the leader of the local branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and the assistant to the State Duma Deputy Sergey Obukhov. The reason for the meeting was the absence of any official response of the authorities to multiple local residents' complaints about the absence of water supply and bad ecology.

May 26, 2014 16:48

• Azerbaijan pardons 157 prisoners

  By his decree of May 26, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev pardoned 171 punished persons. According to the document, 157 prisoners are freed from further serving their prison terms, including four persons recognized as political prisoners by rights defenders; two people sentenced to conditional imprisonment are exempt of it; one person is relieved from public works; 11 people are exempt from payment of awarded fines.

May 26, 2014 14:25

• Officials ban screening film about Chechens' deportation referring to absence of reliable data about events in Khaibakh

  The Russia's Ministry of Culture has initiated an additional examination of the film "Ordered to Forget", which tells about the deportation of Chechens and Ingushes in 1944. The outcomes of the examination will decide whether the film authors will be granted a screening certificate.

May 26, 2014 12:03

• Volgograd resident holds solo picket against abolition of direct elections of local heads in the region

  Today, near the building of the Regional Duma, Boris Pylin, the chairman of the public organization "Union for Local Residents of Volgograd Region", has held a solo picket against the abolition of the direct elections of heads of cities and districts. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

May 26, 2014 09:00

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of May 19-25

  Events in the regions of Southern Russia and Southern Caucasus dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War; special operation in Ingushetia, during which, according to power agents, leader of the local militants was killed; jury's verdict of guilty in Politkovskaya's murder case, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of May 19-25, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".