News

December 01, 2012 18:00

• Soldiers block Dagestani village of Balakhani, local residents assert

  In the village of Balakhani of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, military vehicles blocked the entrance to the village, and the houses were searched. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by local residents.

December 01, 2012 15:00

• Journalist Idrak Abbasov asks Azerbaijani President for protection

  In Azerbaijan, journalist Idrak Abbasov appealed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev, heads of power agencies, and human rights defenders with a request to ensure his safety.

December 01, 2012 14:00

• "Heritage" joins ANC's initiative to apply to Constitutional Court

  The faction "Armenian National Congress" (ANC) began collecting signatures in the Parliament under the claim to the Constitutional Court about the disruption of the parliamentary majority of the extraordinary session of the National Assembly of November 21. MPs from the faction of the "Heritage" Party supported the initiative.

December 01, 2012 13:00

• In Chechnya, pupils' parents criticize ban on using mobile phones in schools

  In Chechnya, parents of schoolchildren complain about the order of the regional Ministry of Education, which prohibits the schoolchildren to use mobile phones. The parents believe that the safety of children was seriously threatened, and officials refer to the instructions of the republic's leaders.

December 01, 2012 12:09

• In Krasnodar Territory, oppositionists criticize territorial law on assemblies

  As stated by activists of the non-parliamentary opposition, amendments to the territorial law on assemblies had been adopted in the Krasnodar Territory without any broad discussion; therefore, the law is now highly restrictive. The amendments were intended to harmonise the local legislation with the federal one, said Marina Alexandrova, a lawyer from the Krasnodar-based "Centre of Justice".

December 01, 2012 11:00

• Georgia: Ministry of Corrections asks Mikhail Saakashvili to release 137 seriously ill prisoners

  Sozar Subari, Georgian Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance, appealed to the President and members of the Georgian Pardon Commission to release from prisons 137 seriously ill prisoners.

November 30, 2012 23:50

• Taganrog: Jehovah's witnesses repeatedly accused of extremism

  In the city of Taganrog of the Rostov Region, seventeen members of the organization Jehovah's Witnesses were repeatedly accused of extremism. The believers claim repeated violation of their rights to defence and plan to appeal against the charges.

November 30, 2012 23:40

• "Chechen Mothers for Peace" holds action to support women, who lost their family members

  The action, which was held on November 29, in Grozny by the public non-commercial organization "Chechen Mothers for Peace", was attended by about 200 women, who lost their family members and who did not know anything about their fate.

November 30, 2012 23:30

• In Georgia, former head of MIA's General Inspection detained again

  Tengiz Gunava, the former head of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia, detained on suspicion of embezzling 3000 litres of gasoline.

November 30, 2012 23:10

• Dagestani MPs fix social guarantees for volunteers-militiamen

  At the session of the Dagestani Parliament, held on November 29, MPs adopted guarantees of social protection for residents of Dagestan, participating in volunteer people's guard teams. In particular, in the event of a death of a member of a volunteer people's guard team during protection of the public order, family members of a deceased person will be paid a single payment in the amount of one million roubles.

November 30, 2012 23:00

• Former head of Borjomi Interior Department detained on suspicion of using torture

  On November 30, in Tbilisi, Mamuka Khvedeliani, the former head of the Borjomi Department of the Ministry Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia, a majority candidate from the "United National Movement" Party at the parliamentary elections of October 1, was arrested on suspicion of torturing detainees in the Borjomi MIA's Department in 2009.

November 30, 2012 22:30

• Dagestani leader treats solving murders and kidnappings as ineffective

  Magomedsalam Magomedov, the leader of Dagestan, criticized the work of power agencies of the region on the investigation into murders and kidnappings. Magomedsalam Magomedov has emphasized that out of 55 kidnappings, committed from January 2011 till September 2012, only 18 were resolved.

November 30, 2012 22:10

• PACE Co-Rapporteurs call on Azerbaijani authorities to release journalists and opposition activists from prisons

  Following their visit to Baku on November 26-28, Pedro Agramunt Font de Mora (Spain) and Joseph Debono Gresh (Malta), Co-Rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), called on the authorities of the country to release journalists and opposition activists, kept in prisons.

November 30, 2012 22:00

• Rostov-on-Don: five colony wardens arrested on suspicion of beating prisoner

  In Rostov-on-Don, five wardens of the penal colony IK-10, accused of beating a prisoner, were arrested by the court decision. This was reported by the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) in the Rostov Region.

November 30, 2012 21:00

• A schoolgirl in Stavropol is not let into class with hijab on, the girl's father reported

  A schoolgirl wearing hijab in the khutor of Privolny, Stavropol region, has not been allowed to attend classes wearing hijab, her parents state. Press Service of the Ministry of education explained that the schoolgirl was violating the charter of the educational institution which established demands to the pupils' appearance.

November 30, 2012 19:00

• Citizens of Armenia expressed dissatisfaction with the work of Chief of the Police of Armenia at an action of protest

  On November, 29, the citizens of Armenia who cannot achieve reception by Chief of the Police held an action of protest in Yerevan, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

November 30, 2012 18:00

• The police in Mineralnye Vody suppressed the nationalists' mass action

  On November, 29, the police in Mineralnye Vody suppressed people's gathering near the musical college. It was expected to become a response to an assault at one of the students, leader of regional nationalist movement Oksana Borisova, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

November 29, 2012 23:10

• Stavropol Territory: FSB officer accused of killing four in road accident

  A criminal case was instituted against Maxim Svensky, the former officer of the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB), who became responsible for a road traffic accident on the federal highway in the Stavropol Territory, which killed four persons.

November 29, 2012 23:10

• Georgian Prosecutor's Office accuses former prison administration of murdering espionage suspect

  The Georgian Prosecutor's Office accused the administration of the Gldani Prison No. 8 of the murder of Sergo Tetradze, the former officer of the Ministry of Defence, who was arrested in 2011 on suspicion of espionage and who, according to the original version of investigators, died as a result of heart disease. In the case of the death of Sergo Tetradze, four persons are under arrest, and Alexander Mukhadze, the former prison director, will be brought to justice. This was reported by Archil Kbilashvili, Chief Prosecutor.

November 29, 2012 23:00

• In Chechnya, military financier sentenced for fraud

  The former Chief Financial Officer of a ministry unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence, deployed in Chechnya, who was accused of fraud and embezzlement of large amounts of money, was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 roubles.