News

March 19, 2009 19:00

• Alekseeva: although roundtable in Dagestan was a "lumpy pancake" the dialogue should be continued

  The meeting of the head of Dagestan Mukhu Aliev with Russian human rights defenders and members of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations and Freedom of Conscience on March 10, as well as subsequent public hearings, was not senseless; the time will define the effect thereof. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Liudmila Alekseeva, chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group.

March 19, 2009 18:00

• Gulashvili: Georgian Times to restart soon

  The Georgian Times newspaper suspended by journalists because of pressure exerted by Georgian authorities will soon be restarted. Its owner Malkhaz Gulashvili has promised to go on criticizing the incumbent authorities in the pages of his media.

March 18, 2009 23:30

• In Armenia, opposition discusses putting political prisoners on electoral list

  The Armenian National Congress (ANC) is discussing the issue of participation of political prisoners in elections of deputies of the Yerevan City Council. Armand Musinyan, press secretary of the ANC, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.

March 18, 2009 23:00

• Georgia gives refugee status to Sergeant Glukhov

  Alexander Glukhov, Junior Sergeant of the Russian Army, who ran away from his unit deployed in South Ossetia, was awarded in Georgia a refugee status and all the privileges as stipulated by the Georgian legislation. This was stated by Shota Utiashvili, official spokesman of Georgia's MIA.

March 18, 2009 22:30

• Parliament of Armenia gives legal interpretation of the term "mass disorders"

  On March 18, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted, by overwhelming majority of votes, in the second reading, amendments to Articles of the Criminal Code No. 225 "On Mass Disorders" and No. 300 "On Power Usurpation".

March 18, 2009 22:10

• Gachechiladze: cement factories in Abkhazia will result in ecological catastrophe

  The construction of cement factories in Abkhazia, announced this February will have catastrophic consequences for the Abkhazian coastal line. This was reported by Georgiy Gachechiladze, leader of the Green Party of Georgia, to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

March 18, 2009 22:00

• Charges dropped from Georgians detained in South Ossetia

  The authorities of South Ossetia have dismissed all the charges from the citizens of Georgia, detained in Tskhinvali by the Republic's law enforcement bodies in late February for illegal crossing the border.

March 18, 2009 21:00

• Oppositional paper closed in Georgia

  After a search of the son of Malkhaz Gulashvili, owner of the oppositional newspaper Georgian Times, published in the Georgian language, which was treated by the publisher as "psychological terror" by Georgian authorities, the edition was stopped.

March 18, 2009 20:00

• Azerbaijani opposition challenges voter turnout at referendum

  Ali Akhmedov, executive secretary of the party in power "New Azerbaijan", has stated that the high voter turnout at the referendum on amendments to the Constitution of Azerbaijan is an evidence of people's support of the amendments.

March 18, 2009 19:00

• Incident of kidnapping in Chechnya was a feign

  The information about kidnapping of the resident of the Grozny District of Chechnya, who had earlier worked as inspector, was not confirmed. It was found out that the incident was staged (feigned) with the aim to conceal a woman's murder.

March 18, 2009 18:00

• At the trial on Nalchik attack, defendants challenge the court

  Today, the defendants in the criminal case on the attack on power agencies of Kabardino-Balkaria on October 13, 2005, have challenged the court. The court retired to the consultation room. The decision on the claimed challenge will be announced tomorrow.

March 17, 2009 23:10

• Venetian Commission: amendments to Constitution of Azerbaijan contradict European standards

  On March 16, the Venetian Commission of the Council of Europe (CE) promulgated its multi-page document with a legal examination of the amendments to the Constitution of Azerbaijan offered for the referendum to be held on March 18.

March 17, 2009 23:00

• In Chechnya, a sapper blows himself up

  Yesterday, on March 16, in the Kurchaloy District of the Chechen Republic, a contracted soldier from the engineering-sapper subdivision of the Internal Troops of Russian MIA was lost. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about the incident by the Republic's Military Commandant's Office.

March 17, 2009 22:00

• Azerbaijani Avars ask Ilham Aliev to tackle their problems

  A group of residents of Zakatal District of Azerbaijan have addressed today their written application to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev. Shamil Kurbanov, one of the signatories, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the address was caused by the unwillingness of Baku officials to register the Avars' National-Cultural Centre "Dir Vartan" (My Homeland).

March 17, 2009 21:00

• Sergeant Glukhov asks political asylum in Georgia

  Russian Army Sergeant Alexander Glukhov who ran away from his military unit in South Ossetia has asked for political asylum in Georgia, as Shota Utiashvili, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, has stated.

March 17, 2009 21:00

• Azerbaijan announces amnesty

  Today, the Parliament of Azerbaijan has adopted the Amnesty Act, which was submitted as a legislative initiative by MP Mekhriban Alieva, wife of President Ilham Aliev. The amnesty is dated to the spring holiday of Novruz. Meanwhile, human rights activists believe that this is no solution to the problem of political prisoners.

March 17, 2009 20:00

• Ingushetia: 19 feudists reconciled within five months

  During the time in power of President Yunus-Bek Evkurov, and he took the office in the end of October 2008, the special reconciliation commission managed to reconcile 19 feudists (blood feud avengers), as Ruslan Neiriev, office manager of the Spiritual Centre of Ingush Moslems, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

March 17, 2009 19:00

• Trial on "Case of Seven" in Armenia goes on without defendants and their advocates

  Today's session on the "Case of Seven" in the capital of Armenia was held in an empty courtroom, without defendants and their advocates; only Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan and prosecution party were present. The Judge complained of disrespectful attitude of advocates to the court and said that he would lodge a complaint to the Bar. Some minutes later the session was stopped and postponed by the Judge till March 23.

March 17, 2009 18:00

• Inquiry in Nalchik tries to identify the body thought to be Kardanov

  The investigatory group of the Russian General Prosecutor's Office for the South Federal District (SFD), which dealt with the attack on Nalchik on October 13, 2005, is now trying to identify body No. 82, which until recently was considered to be Murat Kardanov, a resident of Zolukokoazhe village. For this purpose they take blood again for genetic examination from mothers of some casualties and searched persons.

March 16, 2009 23:20

• Nothing known about Russian pilot shot down in Georgia

  In order to find out anything about the fate of Russian pilot Alexander Koventsov, who was shot down in August in Georgian air space, Russia is studying the documents with tabular DNA codes of human remains, received from Georgia via the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC); however, the remains are still kept by Tbilisi. This was stated by General-Colonel Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.