STAVROPOL, Russia — A man from Russia’s North Caucasus region of Karachai-Cherkessia has been charged with masterminding the financial support of a terrorist organization just as he was to be released from prison after serving a 16-year term for the attempted killing of a law enforcement officer. Aslan Sanashokov’s lawyer, Ramazan Uzuyev, told RFE/RL on […]
North Ossetia Protesters Against COVID-19 Measures Receive Jail Terms
VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia – Authorities in Russia’s North Caucasus region of North Ossetia have sentenced 13 people to jail terms of between three and 15 days for taking part in an unsanctioned rally against measures local authorities have put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.A court in the regional capital, Vladikavkaz, sentenced the […]
Chechen Officials Follow Suit After Kadyrov Shaves Head With Barbers Closed
Officials in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Chechnya have shaved their heads after the region’s authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov did so, touting it as a way to deal with the closure of services such as hairdressers and barber shops because of the coronavirus pandemic.The officials made the move after Kadyrov placed a video on Instagram […]
Opera Singer Arrested For Initiating Anti-Government Rallies In Russia’s North Ossetia
VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia — Authorities in Russia’s North Caucasus region of North Ossetia have arrested opera singer Vyacheslav Cheldiyev for initiating anti-government rallies.Cheldiyev’s lawyer, Batraz Kulchiyev, told Current Time on April 21 that his client had launched a hunger strike to protest his two-month pretrial arrest.Cheldiyev, who permanently resides in St. Petersburg, has called on North […]
Russian Newspaper Takes Down Chechnya Coronavirus Article At Media Regulator’s Request
MOSCOW – Russia’s independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta said it has taken down an article about measures introduced to tackle the coronavirus in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya following a request by the country’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor.The move comes as international media watchdogs accuse the Russian government of stepping up its control of news reporting […]
CPJ Calls For Release Of Editor Held In Daghestan On ‘Terrorism’ Charges
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on authorities in the Russian republic of Daghestan to release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and drop all charges against him. Gadzhiev, the religious affairs editor of the independent weekly Chernovik, was detained on June 14 on charges of financing terrorism. He has been held since in pre-trial detention, […]