News

October 22, 2008 12:57

• Court in Chechnya suspends some of the claims against "Vostok" battalion

  The Grozny Garrison Military Court has stopped proceedings under 12 out of 31 civil suits lodged by former servicemen of the "Vostok" (East) battalion of the Russian Ministry of Defence deployed in Chechnya against their early dismissal from the military service.

October 22, 2008 12:52

• Georgia condemns Russia for using cluster bombs

  In its statement of October 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia criticised Russia for using cluster bombs against peaceful population and invited the world community to hold an objective and fair investigation of all the circumstances of Russia's military aggression on Georgia.

October 21, 2008 12:17

• Over 20,000 refugees back in Georgia in regions adjacent to South Ossetia

  According to the data of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of today, over 20,000 refugees have returned to Georgian territories adjacent to South Ossetia.

October 21, 2008 12:13

• In Dagestan, "Time of Action" newspaper waits for results of linguistic examination

  In Dagestan, on demand of the Republic's Department of "Rossvyazokhrankultura" (Federal Agency for Communication and Culture Protection Issues), a linguistic examination is underway of certain publications in the "Time of Action" newspaper, published in Derbent, for the presence of extremist statements in some of the articles.

October 21, 2008 12:06

• Authorities of Georgia unblock Runet

  The authorities of Georgia have opened access to Russian Internet websites, which were blocked in August after the start of the military conflict in South Ossetia.

October 21, 2008 12:02

• Head of Rada's commission on weapon shipments to Georgia asks for protection

  Valery Konovalyuk, head of the temporary investigatory commission of the Supreme Rada, set up to inquire into the facts of deliveries of Ukrainian armaments to Georgia, has stated the danger, to which he is exposed in connection with the work of the commission.

October 21, 2008 11:57

• EU: election in Azerbaijan, despite improvements, still does not meet international standards

  The European Union, when making comments on the outcomes of the presidential election in Azerbaijan on October 15, has stated that local authorities had done a lot according to the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Venetian Commission.

October 21, 2008 11:08

• "Voice of Beslan" demands to pass the law "On Social Defence of the Rights of Terror Act Victims"

  Right at this time, in North Ossetia, members of the All-Russian Public Organization "Voice of Beslan" are holding a picket in defence of the bill designed by them and entitled "On Social Defence of the Rights of Terror Act Victims". Some 50 persons have rallied near the building of the Russian Academic Theatre in Vladikavkaz.

October 21, 2008 11:03

• A young man kidnapped in Karabulak, Ingushetia

  In the city of Karabulak in Ingushetia, a person has been just kidnapped, an eyewitness of the incident informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

October 21, 2008 10:57

• Chiefs of Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice promise to transfer satirist Mirza Sakit to another colony

  The picket to take place today at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Ministry of Justice and organized by human rights activists and journalists in defence of the rights of the imprisoned satirist Mirza Sakit, journalist of the "Azadlyg" (Freedom) newspaper, is postponed.

October 20, 2008 14:22

• Moscow militia reports prevention of mass fight with participation of Caucasian natives

  On Sunday, October 19, militiamen prevented a mass fight in the northeast of Moscow; there are no victims, a source in the Moscow City Department of Internal Affairs (GUVD) has reported today.

October 20, 2008 14:18

• In Azerbaijan, colony warders beat satirist Mirza Sakit

  In Azerbaijan, satirist Mirza Sakit, journalist of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom), who is serving his term at Penitentiary Establishment No. 14, was beaten.

October 20, 2008 14:14

• Investigation of shipwrecks in the Kerch Strait suspended

  Inspectors have suspended the investigation of the case about accidents in the Kerch Strait, where on November 11 last year several ships sunk in the strongest storm.

October 20, 2008 14:06

• Kabardino-Balkaria sets up commission to investigate bus accident in Krasnodar Territory

  In Kabardino-Balkaria, an interdepartmental commission has been set up to investigate the reasons of the accident of the Moscow-Nalchik passenger bus that took place on the Kavkaz Federal Highway last Sunday, on October 19.

October 20, 2008 13:54

• International experts monitor human rights in Abkhazia

  In the context of the appeal of the OSCE Chairman to the Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights (ODIHR), a group of experts was sent to Abkhazia with a mission to assess the situation with human rights in the conflict zones; the group will work from October 11 to October 25.

October 18, 2008 23:32

• South Ossetia's militia ordered to open return fire on Georgians

  The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of South Ossetia has ordered its watching stations (posts) to respond with return aimed fire, in case they are attacked by aimed fire from Georgian positions.

October 18, 2008 22:25

• Another counterterrorist operation underway in Ingushetia

  The FSB Department for the Republic Ingushetia has announced that today the area of dwelling settlements Muzhichi and Galashki in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia has become a counterterrorist operation zone.

October 18, 2008 19:17

• South Ossetia accuses Georgians of kidnapping three Ossetians

  On Saturday, October 18, the Ministry of Defence of South Ossetia stated that on October 17 Georgians kidnapped three persons from the South-Ossetian village of Artsev.

October 18, 2008 17:09

• Rally of Ingush opposition relocated to Moscow

  The Ingush opposition will hold their protest rally against the biased, in their opinion, investigation into the death of Magomed Evloev, owner of the website "Ingushetia.Ru", in Moscow.

October 18, 2008 14:21

• Volgograd Region: entrepreneurs punished for advertising drugs among children

  The prosecutor's inspection held in a clothing marketplace in the Volgograd Region has detected products intended for children, bearing an image of a hemp (cannabis) leaf. Those guilty will pay a fine.