Week in the Caucasus: review of main events on January 6-12

Introduction of CTO regime after a series of murders of car drivers in Stavropol Territory and recognition of the explosion in Pyatigorsk to be a terror act; introduction of reinforced security measures for the period of the Olympics in Sochi; another decision of the ECtHR on complaints of Chechen residents about disappearance of their relatives; retirement of the court dealing with attack on Nalchik to the deliberation room for sentencing; march in Yerevan in support of arrested participants of "Million Mask March", – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of January 6-12, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Stavropol Territory: introduction of CTO regime after murders of drivers, and recognition of the explosion in Pyatigorsk to be a terror act

On January 8-11, several villages of the Kirov and Predgorny Districts of the Stavropol Territory were put under the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime, after six men's dead bodies were found in cars here. Near several such cars, explosive devices were planted; one of them went off, but nobody was hurt. According to the police, the bombs were similar to those traditionally made by members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) in Northern Caucasus. Policemen believe that the underground members acting in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria could be involved in the series of murders in the Stavropol Territory. A version was suggested that the murders were committed because of the unwillingness of Stavropol taxi drivers to pay the so-called "jihad tax"; but then this version was not confirmed.

The car explosion on December 27, 2013, in Pyatigorsk, which killed three bystanders, was recognized to be a terror act; and among the criminal cases opened in relation to the incident, Article 205 (terrorism) of the Russian Criminal Code appeared. This was stated on January 10 by the Russian National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) in the message about detention of a group of suspects of organizing the explosion, which includes a citizen of Azerbaijan and five Russians. According to investigators, the detainees have confessed.

Sochi is put under enhanced security measures before 2014 Olympic Games

On January 7, enhanced security measures were introduced in Sochi before the upcoming 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. They will cover both the guests and residents of the resort city. The measures have been introduced under a special presidential decree of December 16, 2013. Under the order of the Russian federal authorities, the city will be guarded by aircraft drones, surface-to-air missiles and over 37,000 policemen and soldiers. Surveillance will be conducted also by means of satellites.

The Operative Headquarters in charge of ensuring the Olympic safety has established controlled and restricted zones near the competition facilities, where visits are regulated by special rules. Also, during the Olympic Games in Sochi, entry of vehicles will be restricted; and flights of aircrafts and sail of ships in the marine waters of the resort city will be limited. At entrances to Sochi, X-ray inspection systems of motor vehicles have been already launched. Since January 11, due to the threat of terror acts and because of the Olympics in Sochi, all the Russia's airports have introduced additional security measures, including a ban on transporting liquids by aircrafts in any volume.

Another decision passed by ECtHR on complaints of Chechen residents about disappearances of their relatives

On January 9, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg awarded compensations ranging from 23,000 to 300,000 euros to the applicants in the cases of disappearance of 36 residents of Chechnya in 2000-2006. The Court has concluded that the responsibility for their kidnappings was on Russian militaries and ruled to pay compensations to their relatives, totalling about 2.3 million euros. Alexander Cherkasov, the Chairman of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has treated the decision passed by the ECtHR as an unprecedented, but at the same time logical. However, according to the lawyer Kirill Koroteev, the issue of bringing the perpetrators to justice remains unresolved.

KBR: judges who consider the attack on Nalchik retire to deliberation room to formulate the sentence

On January 10, the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) held its last session on the case of the attack on Nalchik undertaken on October 13, 2005. The trial had been on since 2008. Now, a statement was announced to extend the custody of the 53 defendants till June 26; four of them made their last plea. Then, the judges retired for sentencing till June 30; it is planned that on that day they will announce their verdict. The judges raised the issue of extending the custody, because, although the judicial investigation is over, they need time for sentencing.

Armenia: Yerevan hosts march in support of detainees after "Million Mask March"

On January 10, the country's capital was the venue of a march in support of Shant Harutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party and other arrested participants of the November 5 "Million Mask March", when the marchers entered into confrontation with the police. Now, a column of over 300 marchers demanded to lift the ban for the detainees to meet their relatives, hold a fair trial and release them. On the same day, Harutyunyan stopped the hunger strike, announced on December 25 in protest against the ban on relatives' visits. According to Arthur Sakunts, the head of the office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly in the city of Vanadzor, who visited Harutyunyan on January 6, the detainee was exhausted and could hardly walk. His hunger strike was supported by two other detained protesters – Liparit Petrosyan and Vage Mkrtchyan, who also had health problems.