News

January 22, 2010 21:00

• Russian State Duma legalizes the NCFD status

  Today, the State Duma of the Russian Federation has adopted two presidential bills, submitted because of creation of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and approval of Alexander Khloponin in the post of vice-premier and President's plenipotentiary in the District.

January 22, 2010 19:00

• Ecologists to open international decade in defence of Utrish with a concert and rally in Krasnodar

  On January 22-23, in Krasnodar, activists-ecologists plan to hold public actions in defence of the unique natural territory named Utrish, located in the Krasnodar Territory between the cities of Anapa and Novorossisk. These actions will open the international decade of actions in defence of Utrish, which will last from January 22 to January 31.

January 22, 2010 18:00

• In Dagestan, Salafite runs away from militia but is ready to surrender in exchange for guarantees of law observance

  Today in the morning, in central Derbent, in the Agasieva Avenue, unidentified persons in masks tried to detain Mr Bedeev, Rumil Begevich, born in 1982. Bedeev managed to snatch a pistol out of one of the attackers, made several shots and disappeared. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan has reported that the detention of the suspect was undertaken because of his links with militants.

January 21, 2010 23:55

• Abandoned newborn found in central Sukhumi

  In the centre of the capital of Abkhazia, at the back side of the building of the council of Ministers, burned down back during the war, teenagers found a newborn girl abandoned by unknown people.

January 21, 2010 23:50

• Maksharip Aushev's missing relatives are searched in several regions

  The relatives of the Ingush public figure Maksharip Aushev (assassinated in October 2009), who disappeared in St Petersburg in the end of December 2009, are searched in several regions of Russia. This was stated by Vladislav Piotrovskiy, head of the GUVD of St Petersburg and Leningrad Region.

January 21, 2010 23:40

• In Abkhazia, Russian frontier guards prevent Georgian schoolchildren from getting to school

  Twelve schoolchildren from different villages of the Gali District of Abkhazia were detained by Russian frontier guards on January 20 in the morning on their way to the school located in Chkoushi village of the neighbouring Tsalendzhikh District of Georgia. On that very day the children were released. The authorities of Abkhazia in exile are concerned with children's further attending Georgian schools.

January 21, 2010 23:30

• Petrov: Kremlin tries peacefully solving problems of Northern Caucasus with the help of Khloponin

  The establishment of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NSFD) from some of the regions, which earlier were parts of the SFD (Southern Federal District), with appointment of Alexander Khloponin to the post of vice-premier and plenipotentiary of Russian President in the newly formed District, can indicate an attempt of the Kremlin to reach a peaceful settlement of the complex situation in Northern Caucasus. This is the opinion of Nikolai Petrov, an expert of the Carnegie Centre. However, he, like other experts, notes that the former administrative experience of the new plenipotentiary may be not the primary factor of successful execution of his mission.

January 21, 2010 23:20

• Tskhovrebov: warrant officer Khripun, who deserted to Georgia, chooses politics, not custody

  Warrant officer Vitaly Khripun, a former contract military in South Ossetia, who occurred in the territory of Georgia, got there in the state of alcoholic intoxication and was put before a choice - either being put to prison or become a political figure by revealing problems in his military unit. This is the opinion of Timur Tskhovrebov, editor of the newspaper "21st Century".

January 21, 2010 23:10

• Dymovskiy is charged of swindle, no other criminal cases against him

  Major Alexei Dymovskiy, former employee of the UVD (Interior Division) of Novorossisk, who became known after his presentation in the Internet, was presented a charge under part 3, Articles 159, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Swindle accomplished by a person through abuse of his/her service position". This was stated by Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Russian ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office). According to his story, the preliminary investigation of the case continues.

January 21, 2010 23:00

• Shkhagoshev: without people's involvement in public processes solution of problems in Northern Caucasus is impossible

  According to Adalbi Shkhagoshev, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Kabardino-Balkaria and one of the organizers of the Forum "Caucasus. Traditions and Modernization", held in Nalchik on November 30, 2009, without involvement of broad public addressing the problems, which exist in Northern Caucasus, including many frozen conflicts, looks impossible.

January 21, 2010 22:20

• Rally demanding resignation of city mayor held in Derbent

  Today, the city of Derbent (Dagestan) hosted a 2-thousand-strong rally with a demand to the incumbent city mayor Felix Kaziakhmedov to resign. The resolution passed by the rally asks to appoint the new election of head of the city as soon as possible.

January 21, 2010 21:00

• "Memorial" to challenge the MCC decision in Strasbourg

  The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" plans to address the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the context of the today's decision of the Moscow City Court (MCC), which rejected the Centre's complaint against the claim lodged by President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

January 21, 2010 19:00

• Melikyan: less violence against journalists in 2009 in Armenia

  In 2009, Armenia saw slight positive trends in the sphere of mass media. In particular, as noted by Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the committee "In Defence of Freedom of Speech", facts of violence against journalists and pressure on mass media went down.

January 21, 2010 18:00

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of January 11-17

  Completion of resonant litigations in Russia and Georgia; new Dagestan leader is anticipated at the background of special operations and explosions; Turkey gets to the forefront in settling the Karabakh conflict, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of January 11-17, 2010, in Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

January 21, 2010 18:00

• Driver of "KamAZ" shelled in Ingushetia was not suicide bomber, his relatives asssert

  Relatives of the driver of the "KamAZ" truck, which on January 18, under the official information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia, rammed the militia cordon, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the truck had been shelled before it approached the cordon. They are indignant with the fact that Hasan Markhiev, 46, is assumed to be linked with militants.

January 20, 2010 23:00

• Musaev, acquitted of attempt on President of Chechnya, claims rehabilitation

  Ruslan Musaev, who was acquitted on the criminal case dealing with his preparations in May 2007 in Moscow to attack President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, has lodged a rehabilitation claim to the Moscow City Court. This was reported today by Anna Usachova, head of the press service of the Moscow City Court.

January 20, 2010 22:30

• Azerbaijan marks 20th anniversary of deployment of Soviet troops in Baku

  20 years ago Soviet Army units occupied Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which resulted in numerous victims among the peaceful population. On January 20, the country has a mourning non-working day.

January 20, 2010 22:20

• In Armenia, police disperses an action in support of journalist Pashinyan

  On January 19, the police of Armenia dispersed a spontaneous rally of the opposition in support of Nikol Pashinyan, convicted editor of the newspaper "Aikakan Zhamanak".

January 20, 2010 21:10

• HRC "Memorial": disorders in Moscow were provoked by authorities

  The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" states with regret that the actions yesterday - on January 19 - in Moscow in memory of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova assassinated a year ago were accompanied by disorders. The Centre finds Moscow authorities and Moscow militia responsible for what happened.

January 20, 2010 21:00

• Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan reveals numerous violations admitted by supervisors

  The Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan has summed up the checks of execution of legislation on state control. Numerous violations of the law were revealed.