Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of April 14-20

Murder of Dagestani MP Musa Islavov; start of trying Astrakhan Mayor Mikhail Stolyarov, accused of bribe-taking; tougher penalty to former vice -premier of the Volgograd Region, accused of fraud; detention of Georgian journalists near the border with South Ossetia; hunger strike in SIZO of defendants in Nalchik attack case; start of local self-government election campaign in Georgia, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of April 14-20, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Dagestan: murder of local MP Musa Islavov

On April 17, in the city of Khasavyurt, Musa Islavov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Taxation of the People's Assembly (Parliament) of Dagestan, was shot dead. Unidentified attackers shelled the car with Islavov and his driver inside. The MP died on the spot; and his driver was seriously wounded and hospitalized. Investigators believe the involvement of members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) was the basic version, indicating that the motive could be in the MP's official activities, since he had actively combating extremism and terrorism. The funeral of Islavov took place on April 17.

Astrakhan Region: court starts trying Astrakhan Mayor Mikhail Stolyarov accused of bribe-taking

On April 18, the Kirov District Court of Astrakhan began considering the criminal case against the removed Mayor Mikhail Stolyarov, accused of bribe-taking. The court listened to the prosecution's position. The suspect refused to plead guilty. The businessman Konstantin Khvalyk, questioned at the session as the witness of the prosecution, said the Mayor extorted a bribe from him.

Volgograd Region: punishment to ex-Vice Premier Krupnov toughened

On April 16, the Volgograd Regional Court cancelled the 2013 verdict that had awarded Pavel Krupnov, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Region, accused of a fraud, with five years in prison, and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment in a high security colony. On April 15, in his final plea, the defendant said that he treated the arguments of the prosecution's appeal as unjustified and asked to reject them. According to investigators, Pavel Krupnov received 17 million roubles as a bribe for his help in signing a contract on repairing the Oncology Centre. Krupnov voluntarily gave out the money to investigators and treated his prosecution as a provocation. Local experts have associated the Krupnov's tougher punishment with his work in the team of ex-Governor Sergey Bozhenov.

Georgian journalists were detained by frontier guards on suspicion of violating the borders of South Ossetia

On April 15, near the village of Adzvi, Gori District, an outfit of the Russian Frontier Service detained three Georgian citizens, namely, reporters of the TV3 Channel Bela Zakaidze, Vakhtang Lekiashvili and Misha Mikheev, on suspicion of violating the borders of South Ossetia. The journalists were transferred by Russian border guards to the Frontier Service of the KGB of South Ossetia, where their actions were checked; meanwhile, the detainees were placed into the isolation facility of Tskhinvali. On April 16, South Ossetian authorities handed the journalists over to the Georgian party. The reporters have stated that they had not violated the border with South Ossetia; however, they did not deny that they had filmed the Russian military base. An official from Tskhinvali has treated the actions of the Georgian media people as a provocation.

KBR: hunger strike of figurants in Nalchik attack case

On April 15, the advocate of the defendants in the Nalchik attack case said that four defendants went on hunger strike in protest against placement of Azamat Akhkubekov for a long time into the dungeon and against violation of his rights. By that moment, Akhkubekov, who is also on hunger strike, had been kept in the dungeon for 23 days. According to his wife Alyona Akhkubekova, he was placed there as a punishment for refusing to move to another cell. She believes that her husband was punished for the straightness of his nature and incontinence, while the long stay in the dungeon was detrimental to his health. However, the Department for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service has confirmed a hunger strike of two defendants - Azamat Akhkubekov and Azret Shavaev. The Department also noted that Akhkubekov was punished for making a hole in the wall. After his 15 days in the dungeon, they wanted to move him into another cell, but he refused. For this disobedience, he was returned to the dungeon.

Georgia launches a large-scale campaign for local elections

On April 14, the Government of Georgia approved the Decree of the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili to appoint the municipal elections for June 15. As reported in the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC), on that day citizens will elect 71 sakrebulos (local self-government), which comprise a total of 2088 deputies; 12 city mayors and 59 municipality heads. On April 16, the CEC reported that 17 parties had applied for taking part in the elections of local self-governments. The parties and electoral blocs are already nominating their candidates. Thus, the ruling coalition the "Georgian Dream" has nominated David Narmaniya, the former Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, as a candidate for the Mayor of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia; while Nikoloz Meliya, the administration head of the Old Tbilisi District, is the nominee to this post from the oppositional "United National Movement".