News

January 11, 2022 18:01

• “Memorial”* recognizes six Muslims from Dagestan as political prisoners

  The evidence proving the involvement in the preparation of a terror act in Odintsovo of Dagestani natives Vagid and Yusuf Guseikhanov, Azim Ismailov, Semed Nurmagomedov, and Asret and Ildarkhan Rizakhanov is doubtful, and the case is based on the testimony of secret witnesses, states the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”*.

January 11, 2022 17:28

• Rights defenders oppose extradition of Chechen Ali Bakaev

  In case of his return to homeland, Ali Bakaev, as a critic of Chechen authorities, risks being killed, the human rights association "Vayfond" has pointed out, calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to prevent the extradition of the Chechen native.

January 11, 2022 17:24

• Nagorno-Karabakh authorities call on Baku to stop attacking civilians

  Near the city of Shushi, stones were thrown from the Azerbaijani side on a car with civilians; this was the fourth incident within the day in border districts, the Nagorno-Karabakh police have informed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ombudsperson of the unrecognized republic have demanded from Azerbaijani authorities to stop incidents and remove troops from village vicinities.

January 11, 2022 17:21

• Journalist Polad Aslanov achieves telephone conversation with his wife

  The Azerbaijani journalist, Polad Aslanov, who is on hunger strike in colony, managed to get a phone call to his wife only after he cut his hand with a blade. According to Gyulmira Aslanova, her husband has lost weight, he has severe headaches, and his arms have become numb.

January 11, 2022 17:17

• Chechnya: disbelief in justice and fair trial provokes interest in occultism

  The demand for sorcerers' services in Chechnya is dictated by people's disbelief in justice and fair trial, Svetlana Gannushkina, a human rights defender, has stated in her comment on the public scolding of local women detained for providing occult services.

January 11, 2022 17:10

• Polad Aslanov's wife claims pressure on journalist in colony

  The colony staff has taken away cigarettes and bottled water from the journalist, Polad Aslanov, in order to force him to stop his hunger strike, Polad's wife has stated. For seven months already, the Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan has not accepted a complaint against the verdict for consideration; this violates Aslanov's rights, Yalchin Imanov, a lawyer, asserts.

January 11, 2022 15:44

• Second Nagorno-Karabakh village shelled within the day

  After the shelling of the Karmir Shuka village in the Martuni District, residents of the village of Nakhichevanik in the Askeran District, who were engaged in agricultural works, have complained about an intensive fire from Azerbaijani militaries.

January 11, 2022 15:04

• Makhachkala: picketers demand to release journalist Abdulmumin Gadjiev

  On Monday (January 10), in Makhachkala, four solo pickets in support of Abdulmumin Gadjiev were held. Anna Bockler, a Russian journalist and painter, was among the picketers; she was holding a poster reading "Freedom to Journalism!"

January 11, 2022 14:48

• Social media users criticize young women for half-naked photos on Dombay

  It is unacceptable to appear in resorts of Karachay-Cherkessia half-naked, and such behaviour contradicts local traditions, Instagram users declare. They criticized young women for taking photos in bathing suits at the Dombay resort. Their opponents argue that moral guardians ignore the more important problems in the republic.

January 10, 2022 23:55

• Karabakh firefighters come under fire near border with Azerbaijan

  The Azerbaijani armed forces shelled firefighters in the village of Karmir Shouka, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh reported. The kindergarten, from which children were evacuated after the shelling attack, will resume its operation on January 11, the local authorities report.

January 10, 2022 20:03

• Nagorno-Karabakh accuses Azerbaijan of a shelling attack on a border village

  The Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire in the direction of the village of Karmir Shouka of the Martuni District, and as a result, a civilian car parked near kindergarten caught fire, the press service for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Nagorno-Karabakh reported.

January 10, 2022 19:59

• On January 3-9, 2022, no one fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

  During the week of January 3-9, 2022, no killed or wounded in the ongoing armed conflict in Northern Caucasus were reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the “Caucasian Knot” based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

January 10, 2022 19:05

• Yerevan clinic workers protest against layoffs

  Several dozen employees of the branch of the Centre for Infectious Diseases have received notification about dismissal of their own free will, protesters in Yerevan have complained.

January 10, 2022 19:01

• Countries of Southern Caucasus ahead of Russia in Internet freedom

  In the ranking of the human rights organization "Freedom House", Georgia and Armenia are classified as countries with a high level of Internet freedom; they scored more than 70 points out of 100. Azerbaijan and Russia scored 35 and 30 points, respectively, being among the non-free countries.

January 10, 2022 18:52

• Video with Tumso's relatives continues trend of rebukes to rights defenders

  A video has been posted on the Instagram with an appeal by relatives of the oppositional blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, in which they stigmatize human rights defenders and assure that they are not being repressed. This video was the third one after similar appeals made by relatives of Khasan Khalitov and Akhmed Zakaev.

January 10, 2022 14:36

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of January 3-9, 2022

  Celebration of Epiphany and Nativity of Christ; echo in the Caucasus of anti-government protests in Kazakhstan; evacuation of residents of Kuban because of flooding, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of January 3-9, 2022, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

January 10, 2022 11:39

• Two Chechen women publicly condemned for occultism

  Adam Elzhurkaev, the head of the Centre for Islamic Medicine, has scolded two female residents of Chechnya who were detained by police for providing occult services.

January 10, 2022 11:34

• Chechen blogger Tumso promises to avenge his kidnapped relatives

  The numerous kidnappings of relatives of Kadyrov's critics living in Chechnya and Astrakhan have become an unprecedented method of combating the dissent; and there will be retribution for the abducted women, the Chechen blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has promised at a rally in Strasbourg.

January 10, 2022 11:24

• Ombudsperson states use of violence against Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

  Armenian citizens held captive in Azerbaijan are subjected to violence for their religious beliefs, Arman Tatoyan, the Armenian Ombudsperson, has stated. Armenian authorities are doing nothing to bring Azerbaijan to responsibility for the cruel treatment of prisoners of war (POWs), human rights defenders assert.

January 09, 2022 11:46

• At rally in Strasbourg, emigrants condemn illegal detentions in Chechnya

  On January 8, the French city of Strasbourg hosted a rally in front of the Council of Europe building held against mass kidnappings of relatives of the activists and bloggers oppositional to Chechen authorities, as well as against using torture in Russian jails.