News

December 31, 2018 17:32

• Pashinyan promises to preserve prices for Russian gas

  Russian and Armenian gas suppliers will raise prices, but this will not affect tariffs for consumers in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan has assured today after talks with the Russian president.

December 31, 2018 17:24

• Azerbaijan counts 29 shelling attacks by Armenia

  The positions of the Azerbaijani Army were shelled from large-calibre machine guns, including those positions stationed in nine villages in the border areas, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated today.

December 31, 2018 17:09

• Year results in Southern Caucasus: "velvet revolution," presidential election in Georgia, and new presidential term for Ilham Aliev

  In Southern Caucasus, the year of 2018 is remembered by the revolution in Armenia, the elections of presidents in Azerbaijan and Georgia, and mass protests in different regions. The "Caucasian Knot" has summed up the results of the year in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia.

December 31, 2018 16:06

• On December 24-30, 2018, no one fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

  During the week of December 24-30, 2018, no information was reported about people killed and wounded in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

December 31, 2018 15:01

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events on December 24-30, 2018

  Five years after pre-New Year terror acts in Volgograd; new case against imprisoned Azerbaijani blogger Guseinov – see the review of these and other events that happened in the Caucasus during the week of December 24-30, 2018, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

December 31, 2018 10:58

• Famous religious leader killed in Ingushetia

  In Ingushetia, Ibragim Belkharoev, a well-known religious figure and great-grandson of Sheikh Batal-Khadji Belkhoroev, was shot dead; his driver Abo Aushev was seriously wounded.

December 31, 2018 10:52

• Kadyrov reports return of 30 Russian children from Iraq

  A special flight with 30 Russian children arrived on December 30 from Iraq at the airfield Ramenskoe near Moscow, the head of Chechnya had stated.

December 31, 2018 10:37

• Activists urge international organizations to intervene in Guseinov's case

  The working group on the unified list of political prisoners has condemned the new accusation put forward against the blogger Mekhman Guseinov, and called on international organizations to urgently react to the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

December 31, 2018 10:27

• Volgograd residents commemorate victims of trolleybus terror act

  On December 30, residents of Volgograd laid flowers at the memorial stone installed at the place of the terror act committed five years ago in a city trolleybus. After the incident, some townspeople refused to use public transport whatsoever.

December 30, 2018 10:42

• Court refuses to consider complaint of Circassian activist Topchu

  Tarik Topchu was too late to appeal against the abolition of his residence permit, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has ruled.

December 30, 2018 10:39

• Azerbaijani rights defender suspected of extortion

  On December 27, in Baku, Talekh Khasmamedov, a rights defender and a member of the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners (CPPP), was detained on suspicion of extortion, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported. His wife and colleagues-activists are sure that Talekh is being persecuted on trumped-up charges.

December 29, 2018 17:32

• RWB announces new wave of persecution of journalists in Azerbaijan

  In Azerbaijan, cases of persecution of journalists for criticizing the authorities have become more frequent, announces the international organization "Reporters Without Borders" (RWB). Rights defenders have called on the international community not to stand aside to stop the repression against the media.

December 29, 2018 17:30

• Baku court refuses to close journalist Anar Mamedov's case for criticizing government

  The defence of Anar Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the "criminalaz.com", accused of voicing calls against the state, has requested the court to close the case. However, the court dismissed the defence motion.

December 29, 2018 17:27

• Circassian repatriates report difficulties with obtaining Russian citizenship

  Middle-aged and older repatriates find it difficult to adapt in Russia, learn the language, and find a job, report ethnic Circassians who moved to Adygea from Syria. The flow of repatriates fell due to the normalization of the situation in Syria, reported officials in Adygea.

December 29, 2018 11:30

• Court denies Afghan Mukhtarly's complaint about violation of his rights in colony

  In Azerbaijan, the court has considered two complaints about the rights violation of the imprisoned journalist Afghan Mukhtarly. The complaint about the inhuman treatment has been sent to the prosecutor's office for the investigation. The complaint about the restriction of his right to telephone conversations, relatives' visits and receiving books remained unsatisfied.

December 29, 2018 11:28

• Awards to officials for fixing border with Ingushetia surprise residents of Chechnya

  Ali Sadullaev, the Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, who took part in defining the Chechen-Ingush border, has received an order; five other members of the commission received honourable diplomas and letters of gratitude. The residents of Chechnya, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", have disagreed with these awards, because they treat the border agreement as unprofitable for Chechnya.

December 29, 2018 08:19

• Picketers in Moscow remind Polish authorities about OSCE conclusions

  The Polish authorities, who have decided to deport blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov to Russia, failed to take into account the recommendations of the report of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) on human rights violations in Chechnya, rights defenders have stated at an action in Moscow. They pointed to cases of violent disappearances of other Chechens, who has been expelled from Europe to Russia.

December 28, 2018 23:54

• A preacher from Dagestan denies knowing people suspected of financing militants

  Abu Umar Sasitlinsky, a preacher from Dagestan, declared by the law enforcement bodies as an organizer of terrorist financing, rejected any facts of his acquaintance with other persons involved in the criminal case. Earlier, fundraising for terrorists under the pretext of charity used to be widespread, but tight control over banking transactions and charitable foundations undermined the practice, declare experts.

December 28, 2018 23:52

• Rights defenders: release of a prisoner in Ingushetia because of sickness justified

  After his exemption from punishment, Magomed Bekov, sentenced in a criminal case of torture in the Ingush "E" Centre (Centre for Combating Extremism), lives at home and visits a hospital, his advocate reports. An exemption from punishment for sickness is not a rare case, although many sick prisoners cannot achieve such a solution, rights defenders report.

December 28, 2018 20:04

• Journalists call cultural conflicts in Dagestan a nationwide trend

  Fans of the Korean "BTS" band did not believe in the seriousness of the threats, because of which the film about the musicians had been cancelled in Dagestan. Such threats pose a real danger, and the repeated disruption of cultural events in the republic causes serious damage to society, believe journalists and the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" local office.