News

July 22, 2009 22:00

• Circle of suspects of Natalia Estemirova's murder established

  A high-ranking source in power agencies of the Southern Federal District has reported that the investigation had defined a circle of suspects of murdering Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the HRC "Memorial".

July 22, 2009 21:10

• Sochi: local residents demand to punish Moscow officer for abusing them

  Residents of Sochi Nuriet and Zarema Achmizova have lodged a complaint to the military public prosecutor of the Sochi garrison against Roman Nistratov who had humiliated, in their opinion, the national dignity of local residents of Golovinka settlement and members of Sochi national minority - Shapsugs (Adygs).

July 22, 2009 21:00

• FIDH: absence of "Memorial" means a failure in defence of human rights in Chechnya

  The International Federation of Human Rights (French abbreviation - FIDH) expresses its concern about the departure of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" from the Chechen Republic. The leaders of the Federation believe that the absence of "Memorial" in the republic will create a failure in defence of human rights.

July 22, 2009 19:00

• UN: by consent to international investigation of Estemirova's murder, Russian authorities will show their intention to find gunmen

  Rashid Aluash, adviser of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Russian Federation, believes that by consenting to hold an independent international investigation into Natalia Estemirova's murder, Russian leaders will manifest their commitment to reveal the culprits.

July 22, 2009 18:00

• Khazbiev: Batyr Albakov was killed in Ingushetia for the sake of statistics

  Batyr Albakov, who was kidnapped and later found dead and who was labelled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia as a militant, was killed for the sake of statistics. This opinion was stated by Magomed Khazbiev leader of Ingush opposition. Human rights defenders note many strange things in this murder. Arsen Sakalov, director of the Nazran-based fund "Legal Initiative" said that as a whole, it happens extremely seldom that the kidnapped person is presented as militant.

July 21, 2009 23:40

• Azerbaijani human rights activists are indignant with judgement on bloggers

  Members of Azerbaijani NGOs have resolutely condemned the decision of the Baku Appeal Court to uphold the ruling of the Sabail District Court to arrest youth activists and bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Gadjizade for the period of two months.

July 21, 2009 23:10

• Mikail Ezhiev calls Natalia Estemirova's murder a provocation

  According to Mikail Ezhiev, leader of the NGO "Human Rights Centre of the Chechen Republic", members of local NGOs treat the murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova as a provocation. In their opinion, its aim was to kindle a military conflict between Chechnya and Ingushetia.

July 21, 2009 23:00

• In Georgia, two oppositionists are sentenced to 13-day custody

  The Tbilisi City Court has ruled to punish Meloru Vachnadze and Henri Bibileishvili, activists of the youth movement named "Join!" and participants of the action at the entrance to the building of Parliament, with a 13-day imprisonment.

July 21, 2009 22:30

• Three witnesses established in Estemirova's murder case, the fourth one is searched

  The law enforcement bodies engaged in investigating the circumstances of kidnapping and subsequent murder of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the HRC "Memorial", are searching two cars and the young woman, who was in immediate proximity from the place of the incident at the moment of kidnapping.

July 21, 2009 22:10

• Deportee from Egypt Maskhud Abdullaev is in Grozny

  Maskhud Abdullaev, son of Chechen field commander Supyan Abdullaev, who was deported from Egypt, is now in Grozny and plans to leave for Baku on July 24 to his mother. He told about it to Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance" in a telephone conversation.

July 21, 2009 22:00

• After Estemirova's murder, there were several more kidnappings in Chechnya

  At least six or seven persons were kidnapped and illegally detained in the last two-three days in the territory of the Chechen Republic. This was reported by the HRC "Memorial". According to human rights activists, they received this information from a spokesman of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

July 21, 2009 20:00

• Armenia: human rights activist put into overcrowded prison cell

  A well-known human rights activist Mikael Danielyan, head of the Helsinki Association, complained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that custody conditions of Arshaluis Akopyan, an activist of the Association, are very hard.

July 21, 2009 19:00

• Opposition in Ingushetia starts a new website

  The Ingush opposition has launched a new website, which will work in the manner of the former "Ingushetia.Ru ", when the deceased Magomed Evloev was its owner. This was stated today by Magomed Khazbiev, one of Ingush oppositionists.

July 21, 2009 18:00

• Françoise Petre: Estemirova's murder stirs up Russian emigration

  The murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova has pushed Russian emigrants to dynamic actions. They held a rally in Estemirova's memory on July 17 in Paris. Françoise Petre, employee of the Bureau for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that earlier they were rare guests at this sort of actions.

July 20, 2009 23:00

• Medvedev expresses condolences to "Memorial" on Estemirova's death

  The Grozny office of the HRC "Memorial" has received a cable from Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, in which he condoles on the death of Natalia Estemirova, an employee of the Centre.

July 20, 2009 23:00

• Week in the Caucasus: main events in July 13-19

  Murder of human rights advocate Natalia Estemirova causing resonance in Russia and abroad; another meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents; crash of Iranian aircraft with Armenian passengers onboard - see these and other news in the review by "Caucasian Knot" of the main events in the Caucasus on July 13-19.

July 20, 2009 22:20

• Chechen residents fear stronger repressions by power agents after "Memorial" leaves the republic

  The decision of the leadership of the HRC "Memorial" to suspend the work of the Centre in Chechnya is ambiguously treated in the republic. Some people find it reasonable, while others express fear that suspension of the human rights organization will untie hands of power agents, who have recently sharply strengthened their punitive and repressive actions.

July 20, 2009 22:00

• "Memorial" closes up its work in Chechnya

  The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", which is leaving Chechnya, plans to finish all the cases started in the in republic. According to Oleg Orlov, the chairman, the lawyers of "Memorial" will finalize all the cases filed by them to the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) on behalf of residents of Chechnya.

July 20, 2009 21:00

• NGOs plan to independently investigate Estemirova's murder

  An independent public commission is now set up in Russia for investigating the circumstances of the death of the well-known Chechen human rights defender, employee of the HRC "Memorial" Natalia Estemirova.

July 20, 2009 21:00

• Natalia Estemirova's body was found in the same place, where wounded Magomed Evloev was found

  The body of assassinated Natalia Estemirova was found in the area, where last year the fatally wounded Ingush oppositionist Magomed Evloev was detected, who had been detained on the previous day by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia at Magas Airport. In the opinion of a source in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya, this circumstance and a number of others evidence that the kidnapping and murder of the renowned human rights activist were parts of a carefully devised action.