Ingushetia’s capital of Magas (Photo: Dominik K. Cagara / OC Media)
An activist against Ingushetia’s controversial land deal with Chechnya and a local journalist have been detained. According to his lawyer, journalist Rashid Maysigov, who is accused of drug possession and treason, is being tortured by the authorities.
Aslanbek Dadayev (/Facebook)
A journalist from RFE/RL’s Chechen-language service, Radio Marsho, was denied entry to Georgia on Thursday. Aslanbek Dadayev wrote on his Facebook page that Georgian border guards had decided his ‘stay in the country would be dangerous’.
Tamar Mearakishvili (/Facebook)
South Ossetian journalist Tamar Mearakishvili has accused Georgian deputy minister of reconciliation Lasha Darsalia of threatening and blackmailing her. Mearakishvili, who the authorities in South Ossetia are prosecuting for ‘slander and forgery’, has been critical of the Georgian government for failing to do more to help her. Darsalia has denied the allegations, telling OC Media there must be a ‘misunderstanding’.
A screenshot from the February interview with Afgan Mukhtarli (/Rustavi 2)
Since exiled Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli disappeared from Tbilisi, reappearing a day later in an Azerbaijani jail, suspicions of Georgian involvement in his kidnapping have remained. Mukhtarli himself has accused the Georgian government of complicity, and while this is a charge they deny, local rights groups are becoming impatient with the pace and transparency of the official investigation into his disappearance.
Afgan Mukhtarli (Facebook)
An Azerbaijani court rejected an appeal by abducted journalist Afgan Mukhtarli on Wednesday, upholding his 6-year prison sentence. The day before the hearing, one of his lawyers had his license suspended for ‘politicising the case’. [Read more…]
Tamara Mearakishvili (Facebook)
A journalist and activist in South Ossetia, Tamara Mearakishvili, has been accused by the authorities there of forgery. Mearakishvili says she has been under ‘unofficial house arrest’ since August.
Irina Kelekhsayeva (Facebook)
A journalist in South Ossetia says she is facing pressure from the authorities, for an article about an alleged disagreement between the South Ossetian leader and an influential Russian investor. After her office was searched, Irina Kelekhsayeva says she was asked to leave her job. [Read more…]
Giorgi Sanaia (Rustavi 2)
A number of former Georgian officials have been implicated in the 2001 murder of journalist and TV host Giorgi Sanaia. Rustavi 2 cited infamous criminal Konstantine Tsikhistavi as confessing to have taken part in the plot, and accusing the authorities of a cover-up. [Read more…]
Afgan Sadigov (azadliq.org)
Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, jailed on charges of aggravated assault, faces additional time in prison on yet unknown charges.
Afgan Mukhtarli (Facebook)
The EU, US, OSCE, and local and international rights groups have urged Azerbaijani authorities to release Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was sentenced on 12 January to 6 years in prison. Georgian authorities have also faced criticism for a the slow pace of the investigation into his abduction from Tbilisi. [Read more…]
