News

December 06, 2008 12:54

• Ingushetia authorities are prepared to pardon militants who have not committed serious crimes

  The authorities of Ingushetia call on the militants who are not involved in serious crimes to stop illegal activities and lay down arms in exchange of being exempt from criminal prosecution.

December 06, 2008 12:47

• Chechen MoI reports 10 militants killed in the republic within one month

  During the last month, ten members of the armed units have been killed and 28 detained on the territory of the Chechen Republic. These data have been cited by Ruslan Alkhanov, Chechen minister of interior, at the meeting of chiefs of the power authorities in Grozny.

December 05, 2008 21:12

• Chechen residents concerned with the murder of seven young women

  The murder of seven young women whose bodies were found last week in different districts of Chechnya has caused concern among many Chechen residents. While the investigation of the incidents continues, residents of the republic propose various opinions on their possible causes.

December 05, 2008 21:06

• Public organization in Volgograd persecuted by law enforcement agencies

  The Volgograd regional public charity organization "UNESCO Club "Dignity of the Child" has again become an object of persecution by Volgograd law enforcement agencies.

December 05, 2008 21:02

• Witness claims the murder of Anna Politkovskaya cost two million dollars

  2 million dollars has been paid for the murder of Аnna Politkovskaya, "Novaya Gazeta" columnist. This has been reported by Valeri Chernilov, lawyer of one of the defendants.

December 05, 2008 20:57

• Chechen MoI avoids comments on information about Ilaevs' death

  The Chechen Republic MoI press-service refused to comment on the death of the Ilaev brothers to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. They claim that there is nothing to add to the published official information.

December 05, 2008 20:44

• Azeri authorities to consider the issue of western radio broadcasts on December 25

  The NTRC (the National TV and Radio Council) of Azerbaijan is going to consider the issue of broadcasting by "Liberty", "the Voice of America" and the BBC on the country's national bands on December 25. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Nushiravan Magherramli, head of the NTRC, in response to the request to comment on the appeal of Miklosh Kharashti, OSCE special representative on media freedom, to continue the broadcasting of foreign radio stations.

December 05, 2008 20:39

• "Memorial" employee claims witness resorted to violence during search

  During the search in the office of the science and information center "Memorial" in St-Petersburg, one of the attesting witnesses delivered a blow on Elena Alexandrova, volunteer of the organization. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Tatiana Morgacheva, the center employee, who witnessed the incident.

December 05, 2008 20:34

• Georgian ombudsman calls infringement of Ossetians' rights on ethnical grounds as "total absurdity"

  Georgian ombudsman Sozar Subari calls infringement of Ossetians' rights on ethnical grounds in Georgia as "total absurdity". He claimed this in an interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on December 5 while commenting on the South Ossetia statement on the possible increase in the flow of refugees to South Ossetia from Georgia.

December 05, 2008 20:29

• Piquet against Kremlin policy in North Caucasus held in Moscow

  A piquet "against violence, war actions and terrorism" in North Caucasus was held yesterday night, December 4, on Pushkin Square in the center of Moscow. It was organized near the huge New Year fir-tree installed in Novopushkin park and lasted for an hour and a half, from 17.30 to 19.00.

December 05, 2008 20:24

• "Memorial": refusal of the European Court to request from Russia new investigation of crimes in Chechnya is unacceptable

  Yesterday, December 4, in its ruling on the complaints from Chechen residents, the European Court on Human Rights again declined the applicants' request to oblige Russian authorities to conduct new investigation on disappearances and death of their relatives and to hold the guilty persons responsible.

December 05, 2008 20:20

• Human rights activists connect search of "Memorial" with case of Litvinenko

  Human rights activists think that the genuine cause of the search in the St-Petersburg office of "Memorial" is the show of the film "Rebellion. Case of Litvinenko" prohibited in Russia.

December 04, 2008 11:45

• Secret witness speaks at Politkovskaya's murder process

  At the Moscow Regional Military Court, where the trial on the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya continues, a hidden witness has stated today that one of the defendants - Sergey Hadjikurbanov - was going to gather data on the journalist. However, the defendants' advocates have stated that the witness knows nothing particular about the murder.

December 04, 2008 11:42

• Mutsolgov: Public Board on Human Rights in Ingushetia should address real problems

  The Public Board for Human Rights now set up in Ingushetia will make sense only in case all its members are involved in real work aimed at solving existing problems, believes Magomed Mutsolgov, leader of the Ingush Human Rights Organization "MAShR".

December 04, 2008 11:40

• In Azerbaijan, journalists Zakhidovs should be back in jail on December 8

  On Tuesday, December 2, brothers-journalists Ganimat and Sakit (Mirza Sakit) Zakhidov were been temporarily released from custody to take part in commemoration of their father. Initially they were prescribed to get back into their cells on December 3, but then they were allowed to stay at large till December 8.

December 04, 2008 11:37

• Ilaev brothers murdered in Chechnya could be victims of denunciation

  The Ilaev brothers, who lived in Pervomaiskoe village, Grozny District of Chechnya, and who were allegedly killed in a skirmish, and were militants as the law enforcement bodies assert, could become victims of a denunciation. This is the idea of one of the brothers' acquaintances.

December 04, 2008 11:35

• Strasbourg Court calls on Azeri authorities to render treatment to former minister

  The European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) has sent a letter to the Government of Azerbaijan in the context of consideration of the complaint filed by ex-Minister of Public Health Ali Insanov. The document refers to Article 39 of the Regulations of the Court and emphasizes the need to send Insanov to the hospital of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice.

December 04, 2008 11:17

• European Court finds Russia guilty of war crimes against Chechnya residents

  The authorities of Russia are guilty of disappearance of Arthur Bersunkaev, a resident of Chechnya, in 2001 and of a heavy injury of Lipatu Umaeva in 2000. This decision was made public today by the European Court on Human Rights.

December 04, 2008 11:14

• European Court finds Russia guilty of four disappearances in Chechnya

  The European Court on Human Rights has found the authorities of Russia guilty of disappearances of four men, which happened in different districts of Chechnya in the period from May 2001 to November 2002; this was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Arsen Sakalov, Director of the Ingush NGO named "Legal Initiative", which rendered assistance to the applicants.

December 04, 2008 11:06

• "Memorial" Office in St-Petersburg searched

  Today in the morning, unknown persons in masks appeared at the office of the Scientific and Information Centre "Memorial", situated at 23 Rubinshtein Street. They presented a statement of the Prosecutor's Office of St-Petersburg on making a search. Three employees of the "Memorial" were blocked inside the office.