News

February 22, 2011 23:40

• US criticize Georgia for attempts of rapprochement with North-Caucasian republics

  According to General James Clapper, Director of the US National Intelligence Service, the latest steps of the official Tbilisi towards the nations of Northern Caucasus is a factor that could increase the tension in the region.

February 22, 2011 23:20

• Resident of Nakhichevan complains of lawlessness of the NAR's MIA

  Nadir Mamedov, a resident of Nakhichevan, said that he was forced to leave the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR) because of police pressure. This statement was made at a press conference on February 21 in Baku in the office of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS). The NAR's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) denied putting any pressure on Mamedov.

February 22, 2011 23:10

• Verkhovskiy: trial on Markelov and Baburova will be long and scandalous

  The litigation on the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova will be long and scandalous, since it has caused resonance in the ultra-right-wing environment. This is the forecast of Alexander Verkhovskiy, director of the "Sova" Information-Analytical Centre.

February 22, 2011 23:00

• Activists of "Beslan Mothers" meet Medvedev

  Today, members of the Association of Victims of Terror Acts "Beslan Mothers" had a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, who came to Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, to hold a sitting of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC).

February 22, 2011 23:00

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of February 14-20

  Assassination of tourists, collapse of ropeway and miraculously prevented terror act have called into question the tourist attractiveness of the Elbrus region; however, prospects of another ski resort - the pre-Olympic Sochi - continue gaining momentum; "Edinaya Rossiya" failed to find any "fresh" candidates for heading Chechnya; refugees' active protests in Georgia brought ownership rights to them, - look these and other events in the review of the week of February 14-20, 2011, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

February 22, 2011 22:00

• In Sochi, resettlement from places of Olympic construction to be completed by summer

  Sochi now sees the final phase of building new residential districts for resettlers from the places where future Olympic objects will appear. About half of the families agreed to the governmental compensations. Most of them hold their housewarming parties; some of the settlers preferred to receive money. However, some citizens still refuse to sign agreements, finding compensation amounts to be inadequate.

February 22, 2011 21:00

• Dagestan: shopkeeper shot dead, local residents report

  According to one of local residents, an owner of the shop selling alcohol was assassinated in a suburb of Makhachkala; however, the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs did not confirm this information.

February 22, 2011 20:00

• When in Vladikavkaz, Medvedev called to fight Internet-based extremism

  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has noted, when speaking at the sitting of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC), held in Vladikavkaz, said that fight against extremists on the Internet, including religious ones, should be waged by creating special resources.

February 22, 2011 19:00

• "Caucasian Knot" correspondents were not admitted to Khashagulgov's trial

  Today, before the court session on the case of Issa Khashagulgov, a resident of Ingushetia accused of possessing weapons, at the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow, journalists of the "Caucasian Knot" Lydia Mikhalchenko and Ekaterina Seleznyova, as well as defendants' relatives, were not let into the courtroom without presenting any legal grounds.

February 22, 2011 18:00

• Patriarchate of Georgian Orthodox Church provides residence to refugees

  In Georgia, the IDPs (internally displaced persons), who had been picketing the Ministry for Refugees' Matters and Accommodation for five months, have moved into the temporary residence provided to them by the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

February 21, 2011 23:30

• Georgia holds picket in support of political prisoners

  Today, activists of the youth movement "Ara" (No) and the NGO named "Homeland, Language, Faith" held a sit-down rally in front of the US Embassy in Tbilisi, urging diplomats to help in releasing those convicted on political grounds.

February 21, 2011 23:00

• Georgian women-citizens detained in Malaysia to be tried on March 4

  The consideration of the case of the women-citizens of Georgia detained in Malaysia for drug trafficking is scheduled for March 4. This was reported today by Nino Kalandadze, Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia. According to her story, Eldar Davitiani, the husband of one of the detainees, has been already sentenced in Georgia to 15 years of imprisonment.

February 21, 2011 22:20

• Kheda Saratova: Caucasian region is unsafe both for tourists and local residents

  Tragic incidents in Kabardino-Balkaria will continue. This was stated today at the Independent Press Centre in Moscow in the course of a press conference held by the Ingush oppositionist Magomed Khazbiev, Chechen human rights defender Kheda Saratova and political scientist Geidar Dzhemal on the topic "Tension in Ingushetia as Result of Authorities' Blunders".

February 21, 2011 22:10

• Security agencies do not exclude that killers of tourists in Kabardino-Balkaria were hunting for FSB ex-head's daughter

  The aim of the unidentified criminals, who on February 18 murdered a group of tourists from Moscow in Kabardino-Balkaria, could be the daughter of former FSB head Nikolai Patrushev. The Russian Security Council has already stated that one of the casualties - Irina Patrusheva - was a namesake of the former FSB boss.

February 21, 2011 22:00

• Massacre in military unit in Azerbaijan

  On Sunday, February 20, several soldiers were assassinated in a military unit of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan. According to unofficial information, one of the soldiers shot six of his comrades and then shot himself.

February 21, 2011 21:00

• 5-year-old girl heavily wounded during killing of two women in Dagestan

  According to the latest data, after the attack on the house of two women in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, a 5-year-old girl was hospitalized with a wound in the chest. Now, she is in grave condition.

February 21, 2011 20:00

• The accused of murdering Markelov and Baburova refuse pleading guilty

  At the Moscow City Court, where the consideration of the murder case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova has started today, the defendants Nikita Tikhonov and Evgenia Khasis refused to plead guilty.

February 21, 2011 19:00

• Georgia plans to continue negotiating on exchange of prisoners

  Currently, two other Georgian citizens are kept in South Ossetia; while residents of the latter are also kept in custody in Georgia. The Georgian party will continue talks on exchange.

February 21, 2011 18:00

• South-Ossetian citizens released from Georgian prisons knew nothing about today's exchange of prisoners

  The citizens of South Ossetia, who were released today by the Georgian party side, were kept ignorant about their liberation from Georgia prisons until they were brought to the border with South Ossetia. They told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent and claimed that they had not committed the crimes, for which they were convicted in the territory of Georgia.

February 19, 2011 23:40

• Kabardino-Balkaria: head of Khasanya village administration assassinated

  The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a well-informed source that tonight unidentified persons have killed Ramazan Friev, head of the village administration of Khasanya.