News

February 23, 2006 20:00

• Chechnya's MIA accuses Dagestan human rights activist Magomedov of complicity to militants

  Abdurakhim Magomedov, a resident of the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, who is co-chairman of the human rights organization "Civil Alternative", detained last October, is accused of complicity to militants. This was reported by a source of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya. According to the source, a criminal case was initiated against Mr Magomedov.

February 23, 2006 18:00

• Arbur promises to draw attention of the United Nations to problems of Northern Caucasus

  "Decrease of intensity of disappearances is a result of decrease of the intensity of the conflict in Chechnya," Louise Arbur, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on February 22 after her meeting with Dmitry Kozak, plenipotentiary representative of the RF President in South Federal District (SFD), at a press conference in the city of Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Territory, the correspondent of the IA REGNUM reports.

February 22, 2006 18:00

• "Voice of Beslan" gives terror act documents to Ms Arbur

  "We've managed to meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbur, although with certain difficulties. Nobody had warned us that early in the morning she would be at school. Although representatives of "Beslan Mothers" were with her, nobody had warned us about her arrival," Ella Kesaeva, co-chairman of the "Voice of Beslan" Committee, has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Therefore, we went to the building of the government, where Arbur had a meeting with the leader of the Republic. The securities have recognized us, probably, they were afraid of scandal and let us in. However, they told us that we should have just a couple of minutes."

February 21, 2006 22:00

• Moslems of Pyatigorsk feel perplexed with arrest of Imam in Stavropol Territory

  The Moslem community of the city of Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory) is puzzled with the arrest and extortion charges of the Imam of the mosque of Pyatigorsk.

February 21, 2006 21:00

• Kabardino-Balkaria: militia makes new lists of Wahhabites

  It has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from informal sources that employees of law-enforcement bodies of Kabardino-Balkaria are making new lists of Wahhabites. For this purpose they visit educational institutions of the Republic and write down every pupil or student who is practising namaz. Thus, for example, yesterday from the Kabardino-Balkarian trading-technological lyceum a pupil was brought to the OVD (militia station) No. 2 of Nalchik who made namaz right in the class during a break. He was put down on the list.

February 21, 2006 20:00

• Three persons disappear in Chechnya

  As of today, the whereabouts of two residents of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, brothers Adam and Umar Dautovs, who are 15 years old, is still unknown. The teenagers disappeared on January 28, 2006, states the press release of the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship that has arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" editorial board.

February 21, 2006 19:00

• In Stavropol Territory, a private who beat his comrade-in-arms sentenced to disciplinary battalion

  A private of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment for beating his comrade soldier.

February 20, 2006 22:00

• Human rights activist Osman Boliev hospitalized in Dagestan after tortures

  The appointed for today at the Khasavyurt City Court of Dagestan consideration of the criminal case of human rights activist Osman Boliev, accused of illegal purchase, storage and bearing of weapons, has not taken place because of the disease of the defendant, Boliev himself called up the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the therapeutic ward of the Khasavyurt City Hospital, where he was placed late last week with complaints on cardiac, head and backbone pains and general weakness.

February 20, 2006 21:00

• Mothers of Bodrov and Nosik who perished in North Ossetia apply to the European Court

  The "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports that the advocate of the mothers of film director Sergey Bodrov and actor Timofey Nosik who perished at a gletcher landslide in Karmadon Gorge in North Ossetia, has filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

February 20, 2006 20:00

• Annual project "Responsibility for violations of human rights in Northern Caucasus" is over

  Participation in training seminars on judicial defence, organized by the Regional Public Movement "Chechen Committee for National Salvation" (ChCNS) has helped local lawyers in preparation and subsequent submission of more than 10 "Chechen cases" to the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights.

February 20, 2006 19:00

• UN Commissioner amazed with disastrous situation of immigrants in Ingushetia

  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbur was struck by the disastrous state of forced migrants from Chechnya and North Ossetia who are now sheltered by Ingushetia. The situation with temporary refugees was the central topic of Ms Arbur's meeting with President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov in the city of Magas. "Despite all the efforts obviously undertaken by the Republic and international organizations, these people live in extremely disastrous conditions. It is also obvious that they've been living in these conditions for a very long time already," the High Commissioner has added.

February 20, 2006 18:00

• Women from the "Voice of Beslan" committee stop hunger strike

  The "Voice of Beslan" committee representatives who went on hunger strike on February 9, have stopped their action of protest, reports Ella Kesaeva, representative of the committee.

February 18, 2006 19:00

• Skinheads try to frustrate an anti-fascist concert in Moscow

  A mass fight provoked by skinheads took place during a rock concert in the Moscow's concert hall named after Gorbunov on Friday, February 19.

February 18, 2006 18:00

• "Lack of alternative" military service issue is raised ever so often in Nagorny Karabakh

  According to NGO Centre of Civil Initiatives from Nagorny Karabakh, the following religious organizations act in Karabakh: "Jehovah's Witnesses" (from 1993, 200 members), "Evangelist Baptists" (from 2000, about 20 members), "Christian Evangelist Faith" (from 1999, 350 members), "Seventh-Day Adventists" (from 2000, 40 members), "Evangelist Church" (from 1995, 600 members), "Jesusists" (data not available).

February 16, 2006 18:00

• State of health of Azeri ministers accused of attempted coup d'etat deteriorates again

  The military medical commission under the Ministry of National Security has completed its expert examination of Ali Insanov, ex-Minister of Health, accused by the authorities of attempted coup d'etat. The examination results show that Insanov suffers from hypertension and spinal hemia. According to the ex-minister lawyers, the military medical commission recommends outpatients treatment of the diseases. However, the defence does not agree because spinal hemia can not be treated at the outpatients department.

February 15, 2006 20:00

• Kidnapped Chechnya resident found in pre-trial prison

  Today, the relatives of Ertshkho Sultanovich Khachukaev, born in 1983, kidnapped resident of the Achkhoi-Martan village in Chechnya, have learnt about his location. According to the family members, he was kept for two weeks by a power authority in the Urus-Martan district centre and now has been transferred to the Grozny pre-trial prison, runs the press-release of the Chechen-Russian friendship society handed over to the "Caucasian Knot".

February 15, 2006 19:00

• Hearings on murder of Khlebnikov to resume today

  Hearings on the murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, will re-start today at Moscow city court, as the Moscow city court press-secretary Anna Usacheva has informed the RIA "Novosti." The hearings are to be resumed after a long break. "The court session will start anew from the preliminary hearings. The parties will submit their petitions, including a petition on consideration of the case by a single judge or by a jury," says Usacheva.

February 15, 2006 19:00

• Chechen human rights activists disapprove possible release of Budanov

  Chechen human rights activists and public figures think that colonel Budanov sentenced for murdering Elza Kunghaeva, a 17-year-old Chechen girl, should not be released before term.

February 14, 2006 18:00

• Sadretdinov accused of murdering Khlebnikov could attempt a suicide due to torture

  On February 13, 2006, Fail Sadretdinov, Moscow notary accused of complicity in the murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes magazine Russian version, submitted an address to Tikhomirov A.V., chief of pre-trial prison 77/5, and to his defence lawyer Е.L. Liptser. From these addresses and from the description of torturous conditions of detention it may be seen what exactly made the inmate of cell number 04, an invalid of category 2, risk this act of despair, runs the report of information agency "For Human Rights" submitted to the "Caucasian Knot"

February 13, 2006 21:00

• Human rights activists criticize S. Dmitrievskiy's verdict

  Today, the court has brought its verdict to Stanislav Dmitrievskiy: 2 years of suspended sentence, 4 years on probation, prohibition to change residence. The criminal case was initiated last January under article 282, para 2 of RF CC, "actions aimed at stirring hate or hostility... on the basis of race, nationality... membership in a social group."