Week in the Caucasus: review of main events on February 10-16

Competitions at Winter Olympics in Sochi; two attempts of self-immolation in Azerbaijan; special operations against militants in five districts of Dagestan, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of February 10-16, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Sochi Olympics

Every day of the last week of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, which was opened on February 7, they competed for up to seven sets of medals. By February 17, athletes from Russia became holders of 16 medals – four gold, seven silver and five bronze ones.

One of the resonant events of the Games was the withdrawal of Evgeny Plyuschenko, the sole representative of Russia, from the men's figure skating tournament. The athlete, who was one of the main contenders for the gold, decided to withdraw from the competition due to health problems. Soon after the withdrawal, the athlete announced the completion of his sporting career.

Russian fans complained about long queues at ticket offices of Sochi Olympics; at the same time, spectators praise the good organization of the Olympic Games, the work of volunteers and the creation of a barrier-free environment for the disabled.

Azerbaijan: two attempts of self-immolation

Over the past week, two residents of Azerbaijan committed self-immolation attempts. On February 14, Malik Medjidov, a Karabakh War veteran, attempted a self-immolation in front of the administration of the city of Sumgait in protest against non-provision of housing to his family. Eyewitnesses of the incident prevented him from setting fire to himself; but he was hospitalized because the petrol he poured over himself triggered his allergy. On February 11, in Nakhichevan, Gusein Mamedov, a private taxi driver, was taken to hospital after setting himself on fire in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; he complained that he was often stopped by traffic policemen who extorted bribes. The "Caucasian Knot" has calculated that in the period from December 25, 2013, to February 14, 2014, eight self-immolation attempts were registered in the country; two of them had a fatal end.

Dagestan: special operation against militants in five districts

Over the past seven days, Dagestan was almost a daily source of news about special operations against militants. On February 15, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was introduced in the Khasavyurt and Kizilyurt Districts; besides, the centre of the latter district – the city of Kizilyurt was also put under this regime. Earlier, special operations were also conducted in the Khasavyurt, Kizilyurt and Tabasaran Districts. On February 14, the CTO regime was also introduced in Kumtorkalin and Karabudakhkent Districts. In the Khasavyurt District, within the special operation launched on February 11, eight people were killed, including Sheikh-Ahmed Baisuev, a native of Chechnya, known to power agents as "Amir of Gudermes".

Krasnodar Territory: rights defenders treat Evgeny Vitishko from "EcoWatch" as prisoner of conscience

On February 12, the Krasnodar Territorial Court upheld the decision of the Tuapse Court, which had ruled to replace the three-year-long conditional imprisonment awarded to Evgeny Vitishko, member of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch), by real deprivation of liberty at a settlement-colony. Initially he was sentenced for damaging the fence around the territory, where, as ecologists assert, the summer house of the Krasnodar Governor Alexander Tkachov is located. On February 15, the international human rights organization "Amnesty International" announced Vitishko a prisoner of conscience and demanded his immediate release. The refusal to satisfy the ecologist's complaint raised concerns of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Russian authorities notified the IOC that Vitishko's prosecution is not associated with his criticism of the Olympics. On February 12, Vitishko went on hunger strike.

North Ossetia: "Alania" FC withdraws from Russian championship and stops operation

On February 10, the Supervisory Board of the Vladikavkaz-based "Alania" Football Club (FC) decided to withdraw the team from the Russian championship and close the club as a legal entity due to its actual bankruptcy. Among the main reasons for the withdrawal, they cite the solution of the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "RusHydro" to suspend financing of the team because of legal difficulties associated with the need to corporate the FC. All the players of the club gained the status of free agents, and almost entirely left the team. Despite the decision to stop the performance of "Alania" in the First Division, football in North Ossetia will continue developing, said the club president Valery Gazzaev.

Officials of Georgia and Russia to discuss possible summit

The Russian President Vladimir Putin said on February 10 that he does not exclude a possibility to meet the head of Georgia. Then, his Georgian counterpart Georgy Margvelashvili said that he would hold consultations on this issue both within the country and with Western colleagues. On February 12, Grigory Karasin, a Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, said that he would discuss at a meeting in early March with the special Premier's envoy Zurab Abashidze a possible meeting of both presidents. Let us remind you that the Russian-Georgian diplomatic relations were broken after the Russia's recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in August 2008.