The international press freedom organisation, which can see no justification for remanding him in custody, and moreover for such a long period, has asked for an explanation from interior minister, Ramil Usubov and the general prosecutor, Zakir Garalov.

The book was published by the republican committee of soldier's mothers with the financial support of Russia's representative office of the Foundation for Civil Liberties.

Azerbaijan's ratification of the European Social Charter is a commitment undertaken by the country to the Council of Europe.

20 orphan children from Chechnya arrived in Saratov. They are on an 18-day vacation at the "Udarnik" rehabilitation center, along with orphan children from Saratov.

According to the report by the Moscow association of Talish culture "Avesta", Alyasaf Makhmudov, a former political prisoner, follower of Alyakram Gummatov, died in Moscow on December 31, just six months after he had been granted a pardon on July 17, 2003 and had been discharged.

The Austrian international human rights organization "Society of Peoples Under Threat of Elimination" has collected 10,000 signatures of Austrian citizens demanding to stop war in Chechnya.

The Interregional Non-Profit Charitable Foundation To Protect Childhood "Our Care to the Generation of the Future" was registered on April 23, 2001. Its members and voluntary helpers have arranged more than 50 acts of charity since that time.

"Gelayev can be one of the extremists who are still hiding in mountain forests from retribution, or he can be among the militants who died in a snow avalanche," Deputy Interior Minister of Dagestan and chief of the public security service Major General Magomed Omarov said in an interview.

The fact that Mikhail Saakashvili was permitted to come is no more than a good will gesture of the republican leadership, said President of South Osetia Edward Kokoity.

In the capital of the Austrian state of Styria, Graz, Chechen refugees organized protest actions against oppressions from the direction of the city authorities.

"Residents of Chechnya say: we don not need any compensations and help, we will build and restore everything ourselves. We just want to be left alone, we want purges and kidnappings to be stopped," said Lyudmila Alekseyeva.

Military men made several families, altogether 21 people with small children, get out of the Baku-Kiev train near the Ukrainian frontier station "Red Grave" late in the evening on January 1.

During the arrest, the servicemen beat all women and took valuables they found in the houses of Aslanbek and his brother.

His parents are seriously worried about their son's fate now. They are hiding him at their friends, as they are afraid he can be abducted for the second time.

"Recent statements by Russian leader Vladimir Putin give us certain hope, though the main thing is that the Georgians and Abkhazians themselves should come to an agreement," stated Saakashvili.

The death of the rebels' leader can be asserted for sure only when the body is identified, the source added.

The Central Election Commission is still receiving information from some Tbilisi electoral districts, from polling stations abroad and from regional election commissions.

The document reads that the cancellation of the state of emergency is caused by the holding of the Georgian snap presidential election in the autonomous republic on January 4.

Mikhail Saakashvili's trip to the capital of South Osetia was short and had no excesses.

Kadyrov's people came to the village in 32 UAZ cars. They told themselves who they were and said their actions had been approved by the Chechen Interior Minister and President Kadyrov.