News

April 27, 2020 11:19

• Eastern Georgia is under strict quarantine due to coronavirus

  On April 26, the Tetritskaro municipality in the Kvemo Kartli Region was closed for quarantine. Block posts have been deployed at entrances thereto, Shota Rekhviashvili, the state representative of Kvemo Kartli, told the "Rustavi-2" TV Company.

April 27, 2020 11:05

• Muslims of Southern Russia deny collective prayers in Ramadan

  Given the ban on collective namazes (prayers), believers of Southern Russia are praying at home and hold evening de-fasting during the holy month of Ramadan within their families. They have treated the restrictive measures with understanding.

April 27, 2020 10:47

• Grozny residents report difficulties due to blocked streets

  Because of repairs of underground utilities, several streets in central Grozny are blocked. It has become more difficult for people in quarantine to make purchases within the time allotted by the authorities, residents of Grozny complained.

April 26, 2020 11:57

• Yerevan: political analysts argue over reasons for head of Russian MFA's statement on Karabakh settlement

  The statement by Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, on a possibility of a step-by-step settlement of the Karabakh conflict by liberating a number of areas around Nagorno-Karabakh has become part of political bargaining, but not a concrete proposal, analysts in Yerevan believe.

April 26, 2020 11:55

• Residents of Southern Russia mark Circassian Flag Day at home

  Coronavirus made corrections to the celebration of the Circassian Flag Day. Activists have posted flags on balconies and exchange posts with congratulations in social networks. Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria and Adygea has recollected traditional mass events on this day and noted that they were celebrating the holiday in self-isolation for the first time.

April 26, 2020 11:47

• Oppositionist Shamsi Kesemenli arrested in Baku for 15 days

  Shamsi Kesemenli, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), is the tenth party member arrested during the quarantine period, the PFPA has informed.

April 25, 2020 16:54

• Residents of Georgia complain of officials' refusal of humanitarian aid

  The residents of the Marneuli District of Georgia, closed for strict quarantine, have reported that officials are distributing humanitarian aid among their friends and relatives; and there are not enough foodstuffs at stores. Those who are jobless receive no material assistance, the Centre for Human Rights Training and Monitoring asserts.

April 25, 2020 16:51

• Chechen Muftiate recommends praying within families

  The onset of the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan has not led to any lifting of restrictions on visiting mosques in Chechnya. The namaz (prayer) should be performed in the family circle, as stated in the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM, or Muftiate) of Chechnya.

April 25, 2020 16:48

• Journalist responds to Kadyrov's threats with application to ICRF

  Elena Milashina, an observer of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, has demanded to initiate a criminal case about the threat of murder and an attempt to interfere with the journalistic professional activities. She has stated that, if awarded some compensation, she will hire advocates to protect victims of torture and unlawful detentions in Chechnya.

April 25, 2020 16:29

• Threat of crisis spurs Azerbaijani authorities to tighten persecution of opposition

  Azerbaijani authorities make a maximum use of quarantine restrictions to neutralize the opposition, since they fear mass protests amid the crisis caused by coronavirus and drop of oil prices, human rights defenders assert.

April 25, 2020 16:23

• Chechnya: state servants tell about forced head shaving after Kadyrov

  After the flash mob initiated by Ramzan Kadyrov, law enforcers have appeared in the streets of Grozny with their heads shaved bald. This trend has voluntarily-forcibly touched on some state (budget-funded) organizations, local residents inform.

April 25, 2020 11:48

• Kuban woman accused of links with Syrian militants

  Victoria Simonenko, a 25-year-old resident of Novokubansk, has been put on the wanted list within the case of training in a militant camp in Syria.

April 25, 2020 11:39

• Inquiry into torture of Kuban resident resumed for the fifth time

  For the fifth time, the prosecutor's office has convinced investigators to resume the case of torture of Evgeny Bunin, a resident of the Tuapse District, human rights defenders have informed. The victim himself intends to achieve the punishment of the law enforcer who had tortured him.

April 25, 2020 11:34

• Rights defenders call on Georgian authorities to help street vendors

  The authorities are obliged to find ways to organize street trading under the state of emergency and help small vendors, who have lost their incomes due to the imposed restrictions, the Centre Human Rights for Training and Monitoring has stated.

April 25, 2020 11:26

• Participants of memory flash mob in Armenia uphold cancellation of mourning march

  This year, the traditional mass march to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, held on the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, was cancelled because of the coronavirus. Residents of Armenia understand the need of restrictive measures and have paid tribute to the victims by means of a virtual rally.

April 24, 2020 23:59

• Military experts argue about reasons for army manoeuvres in Chechnya

  In Chechnya, military manoeuvres in the vicinity of villages in the Nadterechny District are a stage of ordinary military exercises, not related to the socio-political situation in Northern Caucasus, military observers Alexander Golts and Pavel Felgenhauer believe. Political analyst Alexander Perendjiev does not rule out that the Russian federal troops have demonstrated their presence amid a mass protest in North Ossetia.

April 24, 2020 23:53

• Azerbaijani authorities announce quarantine softening

  Starting from April 27, in Azerbaijan, shops and a number of service sector enterprises will resume operation. Restrictions will be still in force for shopping centres and malls, reports the operational headquarters.

April 24, 2020 20:48

• Ramzan Kadyrov denies allegations about secret prisons in his house

  The leader of Chechnya said that an allegation about secret prisons in his house was rumours spread by mentally unhealthy people. In confirmation of his statement, Ramzan Kadyrov spoke about the inspection of the house by prosecutors.

April 24, 2020 20:17

• Review of Mamedov's and Jafarov's cases confirms political prisoners in Azerbaijan

  The decision of the Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan to acquit Ilgar Mamedov and Rasul Jafarov, former "prisoners of conscience," confirmed the practice of prosecution of activists in the country for political reasons. The cases against other six activists from the so-called "Ilgar Mamedov group" have not yet been reconsidered, in contradiction to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and repressions in the country continue, human rights defenders state.

April 24, 2020 20:07

• In Chechnya, conflict participants continue apology trend because of their posted videos

  In Chechnya, participants of a domestic conflict apologized for their behaviour on a video posted on the Internet by another person. A woman from Vladikavkaz also had to apologize after her video was made public.