News

January 01, 2022 23:50

• Saakashvili's supporters end hunger strike

  The mass hunger strike demanding the release of the former president of Georgia was stopped after Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili threatened to join his supporters' protest action, the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party has informed.

January 01, 2022 23:46

• Activists in Azerbaijan criticize tougher punishment for blogger Gurbanov

  A court in Baku has ruled to toughen the punishment for the blogger, Aslan Gurbanov, by transferring him from a colony to a prison for two years. Gurbanov, convicted of publications in support of Talysh nationals, should be released, Rufat Safarov, a human rights defender, and Khilal Mamedov, a Talysh activist, have stated.

January 01, 2022 23:43

• Yerevan: protesters demand to release Ashot Minasyan

  In Yerevan, oppositionists held an action in support of Ashot Minasyan, a veteran of the three Karabakh wars. Investigators have stopped prosecuting Minasyan under articles on plotting an attempt on the life of the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and on an attempt to usurp power, leaving only the charges of illegal weapons possession, the protesters have noted.

January 01, 2022 23:41

• USA, EU and three other countries condemn Russia for liquidating "Memorials"*

  Western countries express their regret about the decision of the Russian Supreme Court (SC) to ban the International Historical and Educational Society "Memorial", as well as of the ruling of the Moscow City Court (MCC) to liquidate the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*.

January 01, 2022 16:14

• Kadyrov awarded medal for protecting human rights after mass kidnappings in Chechnya

  The Chechen Ombudsperson announced Ramzan Kadyrov and his parents to be honoured human rights defenders. The leader of Chechnya received a medal for protecting human rights amid the reports about mass kidnappings of relatives of the persons who criticized the authorities of the republic.

January 01, 2022 16:05

• Georgian President Zurabishvili pardons 14 convicts

  Out of the fourteen prisoners pardoned by Salome Zurabishvili, President of Georgia, on the eve of the New Year holidays, nine have got the opportunity to leave prison today, while the terms of punishment have been mitigated for the other convicts.

January 01, 2022 14:37

• An excavator blown up by a mine in Karabakh conflict zone

  An anti-tank mine exploded in the Agdam District of Azerbaijan during the works on the ground, and an excavator driver was not injured, the Prosecutor’s Office reported.

January 01, 2022 14:36

• Council of Europe Venice Commission criticizes Russia for liquidating “Memorial”*

  According to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the Russian law on foreign agents contradicts the international legal standards, and the decision to close the “International Memorial”* has become excessive punishment for administrative violations.

December 31, 2021 23:18

• Two residents of Georgia released in South Ossetia

  The authorities of South Ossetia have released two Georgian citizens, the Georgian State Security Service reports.

December 31, 2021 23:12

• Norway: picketers urge authorities to react to wave of kidnappings in Chechnya

  On December 30, about 50 members of the Chechen Diaspora held a protest in Oslo, calling on the authorities to seek sanctions against Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin in connection with kidnappings in Chechnya and liquidation of the "Memorials"*.

December 31, 2021 13:09

• Salekh Rustamov's advocates achieve examination of his state of health

  After the advocates' petition, the court has appointed a forensic medical examination of Salekh Rustamov's health; its results will be used when considering the motion on his early release.

December 31, 2021 13:07

• Azeri MPs ignore journalists' protests

  When adopting the law "On Media", journalists' demands were ignored; and now both their rights and those of social network users are sharply restricted; and almost any post, video clip or opinion can be treated as a violation of the law, members of the journalistic community have stated.

December 31, 2021 13:04

• Forced migrants receive housing in Nagorno-Karabakh

  A total of 111 families of forced migrants from Gadrut and Shushi have received apartments in newly built houses in Stepanakert; overall, authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh are planning to build 6500 apartments and individual houses for the families of forced migrants. In December, apartments were granted to the families who lost their members at war or occurred in a difficult social situation.

December 31, 2021 13:03

• HRC "Memorial"* complains to GPO about illegal "prophylactic registration" in Dagestan

  Human rights defenders have asked the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) to check the legality of the so-called "prophylactic registration" practised in Dagestan, in particular, in relation to Vazir Bazanaev, a local resident. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* has called on the GPO to bring to justice the officials of the Dagestani Prosecutor's Office, who failed to properly consider the appeals on this matter.

December 30, 2021 23:59

• Chechen gays Magamadov and Isaev complain about lack of doctors’ attention to their hunger strike

  Chechen natives Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev have been refusing food in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) for the tenth day already, demanding to change the territorial jurisdiction of their case, but no warders of the SIZO have ever visited them. This was announced by a representative of the “SK SOS” Crisis Group.

December 30, 2021 23:57

• Kidnappings in Chechnya demonstrate Kadyrov’s confidence in his impunity

  The kidnapping of relatives of Chechen activists, well-known for criticizing the authorities of Chechnya, became possible because of Ramzan Kadyrov’s confidence that such actions would remain unpunished for him, human rights defenders and activists note.

December 30, 2021 23:43

• Armenian soldier detained after returning from captivity

  In Armenia, Arman Khachatryan, one of the five Armenian soldiers returned by Azerbaijan on December 29, was detained on suspicion of violating the rules of military service.

December 30, 2021 23:42

• Azerbaijan’s parliament adopts Law “On Media”

  Azerbaijani MPs adopted the Law “On Media”, which provoked protests from journalists.

December 30, 2021 23:29

• Witnesses in Magamadov and Isaev's case doubt investigators' documents

  At the session of the court that considers the case of the Chechen bloggers, Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev, accused of aiding a member of an illegal armed formation (IAF), the witnesses have stated that they didn't testify themselves, but signed some pre-prepared papers.

December 30, 2021 19:56

• Communicator wounded in Karabakh conflict zone

  Anar Ragimli, an employee of the mobile operator, has received a gunshot wound while working in the Agdam District, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) has reported.