News

December 05, 2020 10:46

• Resident of Georgia arrested for trespassing South-Ossetian border

  A court in Tskhinvali has arrested Mirian Taziashvili, a Georgian citizen, for two months on charges of trespassing the border. He could have been fined and released, but sentenced to arrest, the man's wife has complained.

December 05, 2020 10:42

• Rights defenders assess consequences of laws against NCOs

  The bills on the work of non-commercial organizations (NCOs) will make it almost impossible to work in Southern Russia, human rights defenders believe.

December 04, 2020 23:59

• Karabakh rescuers find bodies of 693 soldiers

  Over two days, 38 bodies of deceased Armenian soldiers were found in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has still not allowed search rescue teams into a number of areas of the conflict zone and delays the exchange of bodies of deceased soldiers, the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) of Nagorno-Karabakh claims.

December 04, 2020 23:57

• Azerbaijan and Armenia react to French parliament's resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh

  The resolution on the need to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, adopted by the Lower House of the French Parliament, presents the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict as an interreligious clash, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) declares.

December 04, 2020 23:54

• Azerbaijan and Armenia exchange lists of prisoners of war

  The Armenian and Azerbaijani sides transferred the information about prisoners of war to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

December 04, 2020 23:51

• Chechen Diaspora opposes deportation of compatriots from Austria to Russia

  On December 3, in Vienna, members of the Chechen Diaspora and human rights defenders held an action to protest against the mass deportation of ethnic Chechens to Russia. By pronouncing such decisions, the Austrian authorities violate the Convention on Human Rights, suggests Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the NGO "Civic Assistance Committee".

December 04, 2020 23:39

• ECtHR's response encourages defence of men sentenced for attack on Nalchik

  The start of the consideration by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) of complaints lodged by the men sentenced in a case on an attack on Nalchik increases their chances not only for compensation, but also for commutation of their sentences, advocates note. Rasul Kudaev, sentenced to life imprisonment, suffers from serious diseases, but does not receive sufficient medical care, his mother complains.

December 04, 2020 17:01

• KChR resident achieves inquiry into torture by law enforcers

  The torture case of Shamil Atabiev, a resident of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR), by law enforcers is at the initial stage, his advocate has stated. The defence insists on a repeated medical examination in order to re-qualify the case on abuse of power into a heavier charge.

December 04, 2020 16:57

• Chechen bloggers criticize Mufti for pressure on girls in niqabs

  Wearing a niqab is voluntary, and no one, according to Islam, has the right to impose or prohibit it, Musa Lomaev, a blogger, has noted. The girls, deciding to make use of the authorities' demand to wear masks during the pandemic, have put on niqabs instead of medical masks, the blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, has suggested.

December 04, 2020 11:48

• Mufti of Chechnya urges to limit visits to mosques

  It is undesirable for residents of Chechnya over 65 years old to come to mosques for collective Friday namaz (prayer) due to the threat of coronavirus spread, the republic's Mufti, Salakh Mezhiev, has declared.

December 04, 2020 11:46

• Experts argue about timing of demining Nagorno-Karabakh

  The demining of the territories after the fighting in Karabakh may take a year, Alexander Perendjiev, a political analyst, has suggested. In his turn, Vasily Dandykin believes that Russian peacemakers, due to their experience, will cope with demining in a few months.

December 04, 2020 11:41

• Residents of Chechnya publicly apologize for video about policemen

  Law enforcers have posted on the Instagram a video with the repentance of two residents of Bachi-Yurt, who had spread their comic video with the participation of policemen in social networks. The authors' misconduct is not a crime; this case hardly needed any publicity, users have commented.

December 04, 2020 11:28

• Court agrees to consider transfer of Azerbaijani journalist Sadygov to house arrest

  Azerbaijani journalist, Afghan Sadygov, has been on hunger strike at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) for 30 days. A court in Baku has scheduled the consideration of a motion for his transfer to house arrest for December 4.

December 04, 2020 10:56

• Instagram users treat Chechen Mufti's words about niqabs as inappropriate in pandemic

  Criticism of women for niqabs in Chechnya is especially inappropriate during the pandemic, when it is prescribed to wear face-covering masks, Instagram users have pointed out. Others found it odd that the spiritual leader of the region spoke out against a Muslim tradition.

December 03, 2020 23:55

• About 700 people await opening of border between Russia and Azerbaijan

  About 300 Russian citizens stay in Azerbaijan and await to be sent home, while about 400 citizens of Azerbaijan stay in Dagestan, the authorities of the republic report.

December 03, 2020 23:51

• Mufti of Chechnya limits attendance at Friday prayers

  The Mufti of Chechnya required from men over 65 not to attend Friday prayers and urged residents of the republic to limit attendance at memorial gatherings.

December 03, 2020 20:52

• Chechen official threatens with fines for violation of COVID-19 restrictions

  The authorities of Chechnya will impose high fines for residents and entrepreneurs who neglect the prevention of the coronavirus infection spread, announces Magomed Daudov, the chairman of the Chechen parliament.

December 03, 2020 20:45

• Azerbaijan counts death toll of Karabakh war

  In the period from September 27 to November 9, 2783 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the battles in the Karabakh conflict zone, and 1245 others undergo medical treatment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan reports.

December 03, 2020 16:37

• Georgian religious associations accuse authorities of discrimination amid epidemic

  The anti-epidemiological restrictions adopted by the Georgian authorities are discriminatory for non-Orthodox organizations, 11 religious communities have stated. Believers asked not to violate the freedom of religion and not to create obstacles to charitable services.

December 03, 2020 16:30

• In Stepanakert, Russian peacemakers defuse 100 ordnances

  During the past 24 hours, Russian militaries defused about 100 ammunition units in Stepanakert, and cleared a school of explosives, after which it resumed classes.