Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of April 26-May 2

President of Chechnya is officially accused of involvement in murder of his former security; attempt committed in Kabardino-Balkaria on former and present state officials; journalists are again in authorities' disgrace, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of April 26-May 2, 2010, in the Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Ramzan Kadyrov under suspicion of Austrian Prosecutor's Office

On April 26, the Austrian State Department for Defence of Constitution and Fight on Terror announced that Shaa Turlaev, Ramzan Kadyrov's adviser, was involved in murdering Umar Israilov, former Kadyrov's security. Turlaev's documents were detected in the car of a suspected crime figurant.

The Department also found President of Chechnya responsible for organizing kidnapping and murder of Umar Israilov. However, Austrian inspectors admit that they have only indirect evidences, but they assert that all the executors of the crime had links - in this way or other - with Kadyrov. In particular, inspectors have a photo, which was stored in the memory of the cellular telephone of Otto Kaltenbrunner, supposed organizer of the crime, where he is depicted with the Chechen President.

"Ramzan Ahmatovich often tours the republic; he can come into any house in a village and photograph with people. He can't know who of them may be a criminal," Andrei Krasnenkov, Kadyrov's advocate, said in his turn to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Speaking at a press conference in Grozny, President of Chechnya accused his late ex-security of committing several murders and said that "he had dozens of blood feudists". Besides, according to Kadyrov, the one who had committed the murder did not want "the youth to get back" to Chechnya, and hoped for loud public resonance and wanted to accuse the Chechen President of what had happened.

Andrei Krasnenkov noted that Shaa Turlaev, even being President's assistant, could act at his own discretion.

Let us note here that Umar Israilov, former Ramzan Kadyrov's bodyguard, in 2006 received political asylum in Austria. In the end of 2006 he lodged a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and accused Chechen President of regular torture and kidnappings. On January 13, 2009, Israilov was killed. Human rights activists believe that Israilov was the key witness at the litigation against Kadyrov, initiated by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights.

Explosions shake Northern Caucasus

Last week Kabardino-Balkaria was an instability epicentre in Northern Caucasus.

At night of April 28, in the Baksan District of the republic, an attack was made on a car of the road-patrol service. One militiaman was lost another one was wounded. Two days later - at night on April 30 - in Nalchik, unidentified persons blew up a car with militiamen. Two of them were injured.

On May 1 in Nalchik, a terror act was committed in the local hippodrome. A self-made explosive device with a clockwork and power of 3-5 kilos in trotyl equivalent was triggered in the heat of horse races. As a result of the explosion, over 20 persons were hospitalized, one of them later died - a veteran of the Great Patriotic War Saidli Shibzukhov.

The explosion was triggered shortly before the top leaders of Kabardino-Balkaria, including President Arsen Kanokov, were to arrive in the hippodrome. However, former and current officials were among the victims - Minister of Culture of Kabardino-Balkaria Ruslan Firov, a correspondent of local newspaper Albert Dyshekov, head of a major enterprise Vladimir Sekrekov and ex-minister of internal affairs of the KBR (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic) Khachim Shogenov.

Meanwhile, residents of Dagestan also perish in terror acts committed by suicide-bombers.

Thus, on April 29 a powerful explosion was triggered in a suburb of Lenin-Aul village, Kazbek District. The terrorist triggered his bomb, when his Lada Priora, earlier hijacked in Khasavyurt, was stopped for a check by a militiamen. The power of the explosive was 100 kilos in trotyl equivalent. Three persons were killed (including two militiamen). Four more militiamen and 11 civilians, including a five-year child, were hospitalized with various wounds.

Inspectors believe that the target of the suicide-bomber was one of administrative buildings in Dylym village - the capital of the Kazbek District.

Armed clashes are also incessant in Northern Caucasus.

In the course of a skirmish on April 26 in the vicinity of Mutsalaul village, Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, two suspected militants were killed, and three militiamen were wounded.

In the vicinity of Makhkety village (Chechnya) two suspected militants were killed in an armed collision. According to the President of the republic, the casualties were Emir of Makhkety Abubakar Dzhabrailov and a local villager Rasul Umarov.

Freedom of speech in the Caucasus is attacked - both literally and figuratively

On April 26 in Sochi, Arkadi Lander, editor-in-chief of the newspapers "Mestnaya" (Local) was severely beaten in the doorway of the apartment house where he lives. The journalist is sure that the attackers wanted to kill him, but the neighbours frightened them off. The criminals delivered 4-6 blows on Arkadi's head with a crowbar. Doctors diagnosed skull bone fractures, brain concussion and head lacerations. According to the journalist, despite the murder attempt, he would not stop his professional activities.

"Inspectors consider different motives of the attack," Mr Lander said. "Political order is not excluded."

In the course of the pre-election campaign, the "Mestnaya" newspaper published exposing materials about candidates for the Sochi City Assembly from the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia) Party. Three issues were published; and the paper was suspended because of the incident with its editor-in-chief.

The greatest problems in Russia with the freedom of speech are registered in Chechnya and Ingushetia. This was stated by Boris Timoshenko, head of the information service of the Glasnost Defence Foundation, in his comments on the outcomes of the project "Glasnost Map" for March 2009 - February 2010.

As a whole, the situation with glasnost in Northern Caucasian is as follows: the "yellow sector", meaning a relative freedom of the press, covers the Stavropol Territory and Dagestan, the "red sector" (a relative non-freedom) covers North Ossetia, and the "brown sector" (non-freedom) covers Karachai-Circassia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ingushetia and Chechnya. Chechnya and Dagestan are also in the "black sector", designating the regions where journalists perished.

At this background, messages have arrived from Chechnya that Ramzan Kadyrov has not left the idea to submit claims in defence of his honour and dignity because of statements made by political scientist Stanislav Belkovskiy, a journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" Vyacheslav Izmailov and human rights activist Sergey Kovalyov. Kadyrov's attitude to what the above persons had written or said has not changed, said Andrei Krasnenkov, Kadyrov's advocate.

"I recently was in Chechnya and talked to Ramzan Ahmatovich. He told me: 'Yes, we'll react,' but not right now - he gave no command. He's busy with antiterrorist actions; then we have holidays," said the advocate.