News

June 14, 2022 18:50

• Caucasian scholars explain goals of public reconciliation of blood feudists in Chechnya

  From ancient times, the respect for the clergy and authorities has helped resolving blood feudists' conflicts; and making these events public allowed priests and officials to demonstrate their influence, Caucasian experts have noted.

June 14, 2022 18:43

• Instagram* users condemn awarding Grozny Mayor with "Sword of Victory" bearing Stalin's portrait

  The commemorative "Sword of Victory" with engraved Stalin's portrait was presented to the Mayor of Grozny in connection with the fact that the capital of Chechnya has the title of "City of Military Glory". Commentators were surprised by this news, recalling the Stalinist deportation of Vainakhs.

June 14, 2022 18:35

• Court reduces prison term to resident of Dagestan who claimed torture

  A court in Pyatigorsk has almost halved the prison term of Islam Kubakhanov, a Dagestani resident, who had been sentenced to 8.5 years in prison on charges of links with militants. However, the court disregarded the Kubakhanov's statement about torture.

June 14, 2022 14:31

• Rights defenders note systemic nature of torturing detainees in Kuban

  In Sochi, a former policeman has been convicted of assaulting a female detainee, partly because the incident occurred in a public place; while torture cases at law enforcement bodies are more difficult to bring to court due to law enforcers' frank pledge and absence of video cameras in their offices.

June 14, 2022 00:47

• Social media users argue about idea of creating a “committee to combat obscenity” in Northern Caucasus

  An initiative has been sent to the presidential plenipotentiary office to create a “committee to combat obscenity” to ban performances of undesirable artists in Northern Caucasus, reports Saipuddin Guchigov, the head of the “Our Home is the City of Grozny” movement.

June 13, 2022 23:58

• Blogger Ramazanov sent to psychiatric hospital after complaining about torture

  Azerbaijani blogger Rashad Ramazanov, who was arrested in a case on drug trafficking and who complained about torture, was sent to a psychiatric hospital for examination. The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into Rashad Ramazanov’s complaint about torture.

June 13, 2022 23:56

• Condition of Azerbaijani activist Bagirzade deteriorates on tenth day of his hunger strike

  Talekh Bagirzade, the convicted leader of the “Muslim Unity” movement, reported a deterioration in his condition on the tenth day of the hunger strike, but refuses the help of doctors, his spouse says.

June 13, 2022 23:54

• Colleagues of Dagestani journalist Gadjiev time their pickets to coincide with anniversary of his detention

  Colleagues of Abdulmumin Gadjiev, a journalist of the weekly newspaper “Chernovik” (Rough Draft), recalled that he was arrested three years ago. They held pickets in Makhachkala and called for the release of the journalist.

June 13, 2022 15:25

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of June 6-12, 2022

  Persecution of pacifists in Southern Russia; decision of the ECtHR on a complaint of Jehovah‘s Witnesses* from Taganrog; hunger strikes of political prisoners in Azerbaijan; decrease in protest activity in Armenia, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of June 6-12, 2022, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

June 13, 2022 14:10

• Tbilisi students demand authorities' reaction to their protest action

  Students of the Tbilisi State University (TSU) have agreed to unblock the rector's office in exchange for the rector's resignation and a meeting with the Georgian Minister of Education to discuss the issue of possible distance (remote) learning due to high rental housing prices in Tbilisi.

June 13, 2022 14:02

• Week of June 6-12 passed without victims of armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

  During the week from June 6 to June 12, 2022, during the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, there were no reports about any casualties or wounded persons. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from open sources.

June 13, 2022 13:47

• Armenian political analysts note absence of public support of opposition

  The protest movement has no broad public support, analysts assert. The protests may come to naught if the opposition fails to move on to substantive changes, Armen Badalyan has noted.

June 13, 2022 12:00

• Chechen authorities report reconciliation of blood feudists

  The two families, who had been at war for 10 years because of the death of a young man, have reconciled with the mediation of the Muftiate, the "Grozny" TV Channel has reported.

June 13, 2022 11:58

• Russians in Tbilisi stand against special operation in Ukraine

  The Russian citizens who have moved to Georgia held an action in Tbilisi against the military operation in Ukraine. Two more pacifist actions were organized by local activists.

June 13, 2022 11:56

• Group of servicemen returns from special operation in Ukraine to Ingushetia

  On June 12, fighters of the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard) from Ingushetia returned home from the special operation in Ukraine; hundreds of people came to meet them, the press service of the head of the republic has reported.

June 12, 2022 13:22

• Yerevan opposition demands from authorities to stop political repressions

  On June 11, the youth wing of the "Resistance" oppositional movement held a march in Yerevan demanding the release of activists detained at recent activists' rallies. Protesters have treated these people as political prisoners and stated that authorities were trying to extinguish the opposition movement by means of arrests.

June 12, 2022 13:08

• Delimkhanov's appointment as deputy chairman of State Duma committee improves Kadyrov's influence

  Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma MP from Chechnya, has been appointed First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Combating Corruption; it was done as a reward for his staying in the special operation zone in Ukraine. His appointment evidences the growing influence of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

June 12, 2022 12:41

• CE calls on Azeri authorities to acquit nine activists

  Azerbaijani authorities should lift convictions from nine activists, including the journalist, Khadidja Ismayilova, and fully acquit them, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CE) has stated.

June 11, 2022 19:17

• Ararat Region: several activists detained at protest action

  In the Ararat Region of Armenia, law enforcers have detained several activists who tried to block the local highway in protest against the arrival of Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian Prime Minister, in the region.

June 11, 2022 19:03

• Muftiate's position over a kiss in Makhachkala sparks disputes in social media

  The resident of Dagestan, who made a remark to a couple, who were kissing each other in public at a Makhachkala shopping centre, should not have initiated a brawl, Mukhammad Mairanov, the chairman of the Dagestan Muftiate, has stated. Some network users believe that the tough reaction contributes to the protection of traditions, while their opponents condemned the violence.