Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of September 2-8

Voting at local elections in all regions of Southern Russia, except for KBR; election of heads of Ingushetia and Dagestan; mourning events in North Ossetia on the ninth anniversary of the terror act in Beslan; termination of criminal prosecution of journalist Tsagoev in KBR; start of considering the terror act in the marketplace in Vladikavkaz; visit of Serzh Sargsyan to Russia that ended with declaration of Armenia's intent to join the Customs Union, – look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of August 26-September 1, 2013, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

South of Russia: voting for local authorities and election of heads of Ingushetia and Dagestan

On September 8 – the unified voting day – all the regions of Southern Russia, except for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), opened their polling stations for elections of various levels of local authorities. Regional MPs were elected by residents of Chechnya, Rostov Region and Kalmykia. In Volgograd and Maikop, townspeople elected deputies of city representative bodies. Among the election campaigns, special attention was drawn by the early election of the Mayor of Krymsk, KrasnodarTerritory, which was flood-affected in the summer of 2012. In many regions voters stated violations they fixed during the electoral process – such reports came from the Volgograd and Rostov Regions, Dagestan and KrasnodarTerritory.

Besides, also on September 8, the heads of Ingushetia and Dagestan were elected – it was done not by residents, but the respective regional parliaments, whom the President of Russia offered his nominees.

In Ingushetia, the Deputies of the National Assembly elected – by the majority of votes – the acting head of the republic Yunus-Bek Evkurov was elected to lead the region. In total, 27 MPs cast their ballots: 25 of them voted for Evkurov, and two – for the candidate from the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) Party Uruskhan Evloev. On that very day Yunus-Bek Evkurov took the oath and assumed his duties as the head of the region.

In Dagestan, the Deputies of the People's Assembly also elected – by the majority of votes – Ramazan Abdulatipov, the acting head of the republic, to be the region's leader. Out of 90 local MPs, the extraordinary session of the parliament was attended by 88; and 86 of them voted for Abdulatipov; and two voted for the local Ombudsperson Ummupazil Omarova. On the same day, Mr Abdulatipov offered the MPs to approve Abdusamad Gamidov as the head of the Cabinet of Ministers; and the Dagestani Parliament did it.

North Ossetia holds mourning ceremonies to mark nine years after Beslan terror act

On September 1-3, North Ossetia held mourning ceremonies dedicated to the ninth anniversary of the terror act in Beslan committed in September 2004. They were attended by more than five thousand people. In this context, the local police was put into high alert regime; and the start of school year in Beslan schools was postponed till September 5. On the occasion of the anniversary, Vladikavkaz hosted the first international conference "Children as victims of terror in recent history"; its participants spoke in favour of including the topic "Beslan Tragedy: Memory and Warning" into Russian curricular. The victims of the Beslan terror act state the absence of progress in the inquiry into the tragedy.

KBR: court stops criminal case against journalist Tsagoev for expiry of limitation term

In Kabardino-Balkaria, on September 3, the journalist Igor Tsagoev, who had been accused of robbery committed 13 years ago, was released from custody by the court. The journalist is known for his publications about corruption, territorial disputes and interethnic conflicts. The court found him guilty of causing light bodily injuries and theft, but stopped the criminal proceedings against him for the lapse of term. Nikolai Karachaev, Tsagoev's advocate, has disagreed with the ruling, arguing that no evidence of the theft was presented in the case. He did not rule out that the verdict would be challenged.

Rostov Region: Regional Military Court starts trying terror act in Vladikavkaz marketplace

On September 3, the North-Caucasian   Regional Military Court, located in Rostov-on-Don, held its first session on the case related to the terror act, committed on September 9, 2010, in the central marketplace of Vladikavkaz, which killed 19 and injured 240 people. The prisoner's dock contains the natives of Ingushetia Issa Khashagulgov, Khizar Daurbekov, Mikail Khashagulgov, Magomed Daurbekov and Yusup Dzangiev, accused of 24 episodes of criminal activities associated with terrorism. The session was accompanied by intensified security measures: the judge was under guard; the courthouse was under round-the-clock security; the defendants were brought in the paddy wagon, which was accompanied by an armoured car and several trucks with special fighters.

Armenia: President Sargsyan's visit to Russia and Armenia's declaration of intent to join the Customs Union

On September 3, the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan paid an official visit to Moscow, where he had a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and signed an official declaration of Armenia's intent to join the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The ruling Republican Party has publicly approved the decision, while the oppositional AFR "Dashnaktsutiun" said that the authorities should have informed the public prior to making such an important decision. On September 4, a protest action against this decision, which ended in detention of 11 persons, was held in Yerevan. The Armenian political scientists and economists, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", believe that the Armenia's membership in the Customs Union will not be full fledged, because of the absence of the common border with other Union members; and this membership will not hamper the country to sign an association agreement with the European Union, which had been the fear of some local politicians.