News

December 18, 2012 18:00

• Opponents of "Electrozink" Factory in Vladikavkaz intend to unite with activists of other cities where UMMC works

  The initiative group of residents of Vladikavkaz named "Stop 'Electrozink'!" formed on the website "Odnoklassniki" plans to continue their protests. The activists' efforts will be directed towards uniting the environmental movement in all the cities where the Urals Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC) operates.

December 18, 2012 17:00

• Former Georgian Defence Minister Okruashvili goes on hunger strike in prison

  The former Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who is accused of forming an illegal armed formation (IAF), went on hunger strike in prison, said his lawyer Zviad Kordzadze.

December 18, 2012 15:00

• MIA: network of counterfeiters revealed in Russia, who funded extremists in Northern Caucasus

  As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia, a large network of manufacturing counterfeit money, part of which was intended to fund extremist organizations in Northern Caucasus, was disclosed.

December 18, 2012 14:00

• Court dismissed motion of Temerkhanov's defence to disqualify the judge in Budanov's murder case

  The Moscow City Court, which today has continued the trial on the murder of Colonel Yuri Budanov, has dismissed the petition of the defence of the accused Yusuf Temerkhanov asking to challenge Judge Andrei Korotkov.

December 18, 2012 13:00

• KBR resident reports kidnapping of his brother

  Today, in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), unidentified masked men kidnapped Rezuan Afashagov, a villager Atazhukino, Baksan District, reported his brother Ali Afashagov, who turned to law enforcement bodies and human rights defenders asking to help to find Rezuan.

December 18, 2012 12:00

• Bekhbudov: in 2012 five persons died of torture in Azerbaijan

  At least five persons died in Azerbaijan last year as a result of torture, Elchin Bekhbudov, the head of the Azerbaijani Committee against Torture, said today.

December 17, 2012 19:51

• Department of Federal Antimonopoly Service in Dagestan acknowledged Navalny’s complaint partially grounded

  Dagestani Department of Federal Antimonopoly Service (DFAS) acknowledged blogger Alexey Navalny’s complaint concerning an auction on purchase of a car for the republic’s Permanent Mission in Moscow announced by the Ministry of National Policy of the region in Moscow partially grounded. The Ministry was ordered to eliminate violations in the auction documentation.

December 17, 2012 19:00

• Law enforcement officers in Grozny are searching for a missing girl who was wearing a hijab

  Young resident of Grozny Aina Habibulaeva disappeared on December, 11, under vague circumstances. On the day of her disappearance the girl was wearing a hijab.

December 17, 2012 18:30

• The court acknowledged prolongation of arrest to a defendant on the case of Politkovskaya’s murder lawful

  Today the Board of Appeals of Moscow city court acknowledged lawful prolongation of custody term to Rustam Mahmudov, defendant on the case of murder of “Novaya Gazeta” political observer Anna Politkovskaya.

December 17, 2012 18:00

• State program of development of North-Caucasian Federal Okrug will cost over 2,5 trillion rubles

  Upon a resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation a project of State program of development of North-Caucasian Federal Okrug for the period till 2025 at the cost of 2,55 trillion rubles was adopted. Only 10 per cent of this sum will be financed by state budget. Investments into the Caucasus are necessary, the only problem is control over them, the experts consider.

December 17, 2012 17:34

• Attorneys of the defendant on the case of Budanov’s murder ask to try him on the polygraph detector

  Defendant Yusup Temerkhanov’s defense on the case of colonel Budanov’s murder in Moscow city court entered a motion to submit him to examination on the polygraph detector, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reports.

December 17, 2012 17:00

• An SMS action in support of Syrian Circassians started in Adygea

  On December, 15, mass media of Adygea reported the start of a charitable SMS action in support of Syrian Circassians who came to Adygeya from the war-torn Syria. Anyone could send a message with the text "adiga" to the short number 3116 specifying the sum of money one wished to donate in support of compatriots, republican Foundation of aid to repatriates reported.

December 17, 2012 16:39

• Residents of Alexandrovka, Rostov-on-Don, report mass deforestation in the grove

  Residents of the micro-district of Alexandrovka, Rostov-on-Don, report active cutting down a great number of trees in Alexandrovka grove which is according to them, one of the few recreation zones in the micro-district. They fear that new apartment houses will be built there instead of a park. Local authorities state that deforestation is legal and construction of a park has started in the grove.

December 17, 2012 16:00

• NGOs of Russia and the “Eastern Partnership” are going to monitor electoral democratic character

  Twelve non-governmental organizations from Russia, the countries of European Union and member states of “Eastern Partnership” EU program instituted an alliance: European Platform for democratic election (EPDE) whose goal is to secure electoral democratic character.

December 17, 2012 15:30

• Ecologists of Volgograd ask to intensify state control of the quality of children’s goods

  Within the framework of international project “Toxic metals in children’s goods” ecologists of Volgograd studied children’s toys and costume jewellery on sale in trading networks of the city. High content of toxic metals was discovered in every third sample of toys.

December 17, 2012 15:00

• Ruslan Kutaev: two men kidnapped in Chechnya

  Two men, Mikail Dautov and Imam Arkhimirzoev, were kidnapped by unknown people in the settlement of Valerik, Achkhoy-Martan district of Chechnya, after the evening prayer on December, 16, Ruslan Kutaev, President of Assembly of Peoples of the Caucasus and Head of international Committee for problems of Northern Caucasus, reported. Law enforcement officers are sure that there is no question of kidnapping.

December 17, 2012 13:38

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of December 10-16

  Collapse of building in construction in Taganrog killing five and injuring over ten persons; first meeting of special representatives for settling Georgian-Russian relations; verdict to one of the figurants in the Anna Politkovskaya's murder case; announcement of suspects of murdering Gekkiev, a journalist of the GTRK "Kabardino-Balkaria"; earthquake in several regions of South of Russia; dispersal of another action of opposition in Azerbaijan, – look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of December 10-16, 2012, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

December 14, 2012 19:34

• Figurant in the case of attack on Nalchik says he did not shall OMON base

  At the trial of the attack on Nalchik, the defendant Amur Khakulov gave his testimony; according to the investigation, he was a member of the grouping, which attacked the OMON (riot police) base in Kabardino-Balkaria. According to Khakulov, he did not know about the attack and did not make a single shot.

December 14, 2012 18:58

• Sochi: "Olympstroy" seeking to ban visiting beaches of Imereti Lowland

  Today, the Adler District Court of Sochi will hear the lawsuit lodged by the State Corporation (SC) "Olympstroy" against Natalia Kalinovskaya, the chair of the territorial public self-government "Psou", and her deputy Svetlana Berestenyova on removal of obstacles to the use by the SC "Olympstroy" of the land of the coastline.

December 14, 2012 18:23

• Rights activists share CPJ's findings about persecution of journalists in Azerbaijan

  Human rights activists of Azerbaijan share the concerns of the international "Committee to Protect Journalists" (CPJ) based in New York about the fate of the media people arrested in the country. They agree with the assessment of the CPJ and also urge the Azerbaijani authorities to release the arrested journalists and human rights defenders.