News

December 31, 2021 23:12

• Norway: picketers urge authorities to react to wave of kidnappings in Chechnya

  On December 30, about 50 members of the Chechen Diaspora held a protest in Oslo, calling on the authorities to seek sanctions against Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin in connection with kidnappings in Chechnya and liquidation of the "Memorials"*.

December 31, 2021 13:09

• Salekh Rustamov's advocates achieve examination of his state of health

  After the advocates' petition, the court has appointed a forensic medical examination of Salekh Rustamov's health; its results will be used when considering the motion on his early release.

December 31, 2021 13:07

• Azeri MPs ignore journalists' protests

  When adopting the law "On Media", journalists' demands were ignored; and now both their rights and those of social network users are sharply restricted; and almost any post, video clip or opinion can be treated as a violation of the law, members of the journalistic community have stated.

December 31, 2021 13:04

• Forced migrants receive housing in Nagorno-Karabakh

  A total of 111 families of forced migrants from Gadrut and Shushi have received apartments in newly built houses in Stepanakert; overall, authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh are planning to build 6500 apartments and individual houses for the families of forced migrants. In December, apartments were granted to the families who lost their members at war or occurred in a difficult social situation.

December 31, 2021 13:03

• HRC "Memorial"* complains to GPO about illegal "prophylactic registration" in Dagestan

  Human rights defenders have asked the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) to check the legality of the so-called "prophylactic registration" practised in Dagestan, in particular, in relation to Vazir Bazanaev, a local resident. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* has called on the GPO to bring to justice the officials of the Dagestani Prosecutor's Office, who failed to properly consider the appeals on this matter.

December 30, 2021 23:59

• Chechen gays Magamadov and Isaev complain about lack of doctors’ attention to their hunger strike

  Chechen natives Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev have been refusing food in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) for the tenth day already, demanding to change the territorial jurisdiction of their case, but no warders of the SIZO have ever visited them. This was announced by a representative of the “SK SOS” Crisis Group.

December 30, 2021 23:57

• Kidnappings in Chechnya demonstrate Kadyrov’s confidence in his impunity

  The kidnapping of relatives of Chechen activists, well-known for criticizing the authorities of Chechnya, became possible because of Ramzan Kadyrov’s confidence that such actions would remain unpunished for him, human rights defenders and activists note.

December 30, 2021 23:43

• Armenian soldier detained after returning from captivity

  In Armenia, Arman Khachatryan, one of the five Armenian soldiers returned by Azerbaijan on December 29, was detained on suspicion of violating the rules of military service.

December 30, 2021 23:42

• Azerbaijan’s parliament adopts Law “On Media”

  Azerbaijani MPs adopted the Law “On Media”, which provoked protests from journalists.

December 30, 2021 23:29

• Witnesses in Magamadov and Isaev's case doubt investigators' documents

  At the session of the court that considers the case of the Chechen bloggers, Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev, accused of aiding a member of an illegal armed formation (IAF), the witnesses have stated that they didn't testify themselves, but signed some pre-prepared papers.

December 30, 2021 19:56

• Communicator wounded in Karabakh conflict zone

  Anar Ragimli, an employee of the mobile operator, has received a gunshot wound while working in the Agdam District, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) has reported.

December 30, 2021 17:30

• After clash with police in Baku, doctors diagnose journalist's fracture

  Nargiz Absalamova, a correspondent of the "Abzas", has refuted the police's statement that the journalists' action against the draft law "On Media" in Baku ended without incidents. According to her story, after the clash with law enforcers, she fell down and received a trauma. Doctors diagnosed her with a tailbone fracture.

December 30, 2021 17:28

• Abubakar Yangulbaev tells details of his interrogation by police

  Abubakar Yangulbaev, a lawyer for the North-Caucasian branch of the "Committee against Torture" (CaT), said that he was interrogated as a witness within the case of justifying terrorism because of his publication on the Telegram channel "1Adat"*; they took his explanations about the denunciation of his moderation. Abubakar denied his involvement in the oppositional Telegram channel.

December 30, 2021 12:53

• Kadyrov disavows his statement on campaign on Kiev

  The people of Ukraine should deal with the "treacherous actions" of President Zelensky, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who has earlier expressed his readiness to annex Ukraine to Russia, has stated now, explaining that he had expressed his opinion on Ukraine as a citizen, not as a politician and not at the request of the federal centre.

December 30, 2021 12:51

• Human rights defenders name political motives for liquidation of HRC "Memorial"*

  The decision to liquidate the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* is a political repression, human rights defenders have stated.

December 29, 2021 23:59

• Azerbaijan hands over five POWs to Armenia

  Five militaries taken prisoner on November 16 were returned to Armenia through the mediation of Hungary, the State Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons reported.

December 29, 2021 23:57

• ECtHR demands to suspend liquidation of “Memorials”* in Russia

  In its letter, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) states that the execution of the Russian courts’ decisions on the liquidation of the “Memorials”* NGOs (the International Historical, Educational, Charity and Human Rights Society “Memorial” (International Memorial) and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”) should be postponed until the ECtHR rules on the complaint filed by Russian NGOs against the Russian law on foreign agents.

December 29, 2021 23:55

• Activists near courthouse angered by decision to liquidate HRC “Memorial”*

  Activists who gathered in front of the Moscow City Court met the decision to liquidate the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”* with shouts of “Shame!” and “Shame on you”. The police forces are accumulated near the court building.

December 29, 2021 23:54

• Relatives of Sochi resident Ipatov criticize investigators’ version about his suicide

  Dmitry Ivannikov, a friend of Yevgeny Ipatov, a resident of Sochi, who recorded a video before his death in which he complained about torture by law enforcers, could disclose the causes of the Yevgeny Ipatov’s death. However, Dmitry Ivannikov does not answer phone calls, and the investigators’ version about the suicide of Yevgeny Ipatov is groundless.

December 29, 2021 15:24

• Resident of Ingushetia fined for justifying terrorism

  The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Ruslan Ozdoev, a resident of Ingushetia, to a fine of 250,000 roubles, having found him guilty of publicly justifying terrorism.