All news

March 01, 2006 22:00

• SC of Kabardino-Balkaria returns the case of Rasul Tsakoev's murder for new investigation

  As has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the panel of the Kabardino-Balkaria Supreme Court has considered the cassation appeal of the Kabardino-Balkaria Prosecutor's Office against the ruling of the Nalchik town court to invalidate the decision on suspending the investigation of the murder of Rasul Tsakoev, resident of Khasaniya, and returned the case for a new investigation. The new investigation must provide a direct answer on the guilt or innocence of Anatoly Kiarov, chief of KBR MIA directorate of combating organized crime, of Rasul Tsakoev's, death.

March 01, 2006 21:00

• Militia in Adygea confiscates religious literature from Moslems

  Thanks to the coordinated joint work of the prosecutor's office, FSB and MIA of Adygea, the developments, similar to the scenario tried by extremists in Nalchik, have been precluded. This has been stated by Mikhail Prikhlenko, prosecutor of Adugea, on February 21 during the expanded coordination meeting of law enforcement agencies on the results of joint activity in 2005 and targets for 2006. As an example confirming the above statement, the prosecutor sited the dismissal of Nedzhmedin Abazii, imam of Adygeisk mosque.

March 01, 2006 19:00

• Prosecutor's Office accuses "Memorial" of violating the law on extremism

  Yesterday, February 28, human rights activists of the "Memorial" society stated that Moscow Prosecutor's Office suspected them of popularizing Islamic extremism. The reason for the official warning of the prosecutor's office was the publication on the "Memorial" site of an expert opinion on the ideology of the movement "Khizb ut-Takhrir" prohibited in Russia. The human rights activists call the act of the prosecutor's office "a new stage of pressure on NCOs by the authorities" and announced their intention to appeal against it in court, writes "Kommersant."

March 01, 2006 18:00

• Alkhanov acknowledges the use of torture in Chechnya

  Yesterday, February 28, Chechen President Alu Alkhanov had a press-conference in Moscow. Apart from the information on the resignation of Prime-Minister Sergey Abramov, the Republic's leader made a few more statements. First, Alkhanov virtually confirmed the recent statement of Louise Arbur and Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissars of the United Nations and the Council of Europe on Human Rights, to the effect that torture is applied to detainees in Chechnya, reports the "Nezavisimaya Gazeta."

February 28, 2006 20:00

• Human rights activist attacked in Kalmykia

  On February 22, 2006, at about 8:00 p.m., Andzhaev, Boris Mikhailovich, was severely beaten by four unknown persons right near his house. On that day, the Elista City Court started hearing the case about cancellation of the outcomes of electing the Mayor of the city of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, and the deputies of the Elista City Assembly, where advocate Andzhaev represented the interests of the claimant.

February 28, 2006 19:00

• Ingushetia: jury acquits Muslim Gutseriev

  On February 27, 2006, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ingushetia held the last sitting of the jury on the case of Muslim Lechievich Gutseriev, born in 1982, a resident of the Chechen Republic, who was accused under Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Banditism"). Having heard the defendant's last plea, the jurymen retired for consultation and then passed their verdict: Muslim Gutseriev should be acquitted for absence of proofs of his guilt. Gutseriev was set free right in the courtroom.

February 28, 2006 18:00

• Contradictory outcomes of Alvaro Gil-Robles' visit to Chechnya

  Last week, Alvaro Gil-Robles, head of the Office of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, and his future successor Thomas Hammarberg finished their visit to Chechnya. In Grozny, they had meetings with Chechen leadership and local MPs, and visited the State University and investigatory isolation facility (SIZO) "Chernokozovo".

February 27, 2006 20:00

• Trial on liquidations of Human Rights Centre postponed till April

  The Basmanny Court of Moscow has postponed consideration of the claim of "Rosregistratsia" (Federal Registration Service) demanding liquidation of the Russian Human Rights Research Centre (RHRRC), because of the claimant's failure to appear at the courtroom. "The court has postponed consideration of the claim of 'Rosregistratsia' on liquidation of the Centre till April 10 for absence of the claimants," Lyubov Vinogradova, director of the RHRRC, said on Monday.

February 26, 2006 20:00

• Kadyrov allows Danish Board on Refugees to work in Chechnya

  The Danish Board on Refugees' Matters can resume its operation in Chechnya within the nearest two-three days. This was stated to journalists in Grozny by Ramzan Kadyrov, acting prime-minister of the Chechen Republic, after his meeting with Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights.

February 25, 2006 21:00

• Gil-Robles announces end of war in Chechnya

  Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, has called Chechen militants to lay down arms. He made this statement in Grozny after meeting President of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov, the "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports.

February 25, 2006 21:00

• Gil-Robles plans to clear out the reason of unknown children's disease in Chechnya

  The problem of mass infection of children with unknown disease in Shelkovskoy District of Chechnya gets to the level of the Council of Europe. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, told the "Interfax" on Saturday evening that he "plans to raise the point at a high level."

February 25, 2006 20:00

• Georgia: criminal cases opened against Azerbaijanis who took part in picket

  The Prosecutor's Office of the Marneul District of Georgia has opened criminal cases against all the sixteen Azerbaijanis detained on February 22 in the village of Damya Gorarkhy.

February 24, 2006 20:00

• Moscow hosts a picket in memory of deportation victims of Chechen and Ingush nations

  Today in the evening, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., opponents of war in Chechnya held a picket in the Pushkin Square in Moscow dated to the 62nd anniversary of deportation under Stalin's order in 1944 of Chechen and Ingush nationals to Middle Asia. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Dmitry Brodsky, one of the organizers of the action, that about 40 persons took part in the action.

February 23, 2006 22:00

• Putin: Russia is concerned of human rights violations in Chechnya

  At today's meeting with Louise Arbur, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is concerned of violations of human rights in Chechnya. As the President's press service reports that the agenda of the meeting included many "painful Russian issues", including the situation in Chechnya. "Russia is worried, not less that its foreign partners, with human rights violations in Chechnya, but those who put an equality sign between terrorists and Russian militaries are not right," said Russian leader in his talk with Ms Arbur.

February 23, 2006 20:00

• Chechnya's MIA accuses Dagestan human rights activist Magomedov of complicity to militants

  Abdurakhim Magomedov, a resident of the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, who is co-chairman of the human rights organization "Civil Alternative", detained last October, is accused of complicity to militants. This was reported by a source of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya. According to the source, a criminal case was initiated against Mr Magomedov.

February 23, 2006 18:00

• Arbur promises to draw attention of the United Nations to problems of Northern Caucasus

  "Decrease of intensity of disappearances is a result of decrease of the intensity of the conflict in Chechnya," Louise Arbur, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on February 22 after her meeting with Dmitry Kozak, plenipotentiary representative of the RF President in South Federal District (SFD), at a press conference in the city of Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Territory, the correspondent of the IA REGNUM reports.

February 22, 2006 18:00

• "Voice of Beslan" gives terror act documents to Ms Arbur

  "We've managed to meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbur, although with certain difficulties. Nobody had warned us that early in the morning she would be at school. Although representatives of "Beslan Mothers" were with her, nobody had warned us about her arrival," Ella Kesaeva, co-chairman of the "Voice of Beslan" Committee, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Therefore, we went to the building of the government, where Arbur had a meeting with the leader of the Republic. The securities have recognized us, probably, they were afraid of scandal and let us in. However, they told us that we should have just a couple of minutes."

February 21, 2006 22:00

• Moslems of Pyatigorsk feel perplexed with arrest of Imam in Stavropol Territory

  The Moslem community of the city of Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory) is puzzled with the arrest and extortion charges of the Imam of the mosque of Pyatigorsk.

February 21, 2006 21:00

• Kabardino-Balkaria: militia makes new lists of Wahhabites

  It has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from informal sources that employees of law-enforcement bodies of Kabardino-Balkaria are making new lists of Wahhabites. For this purpose they visit educational institutions of the Republic and write down every pupil or student who is practising namaz. Thus, for example, yesterday from the Kabardino-Balkarian trading-technological lyceum a pupil was brought to the OVD (militia station) No. 2 of Nalchik who made namaz right in the class during a break. He was put down on the list.

February 21, 2006 20:00

• Three persons disappear in Chechnya

  As of today, the whereabouts of two residents of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, brothers Adam and Umar Dautovs, who are 15 years old, is still unknown. The teenagers disappeared on January 28, 2006, states the press release of the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship that has arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" editorial board.