Caucasian Knot

01/11/2025

Mezhiev commented on Berl Lazar's claims regarding his statements about Jews.

The words that outraged Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar were incorrectly translated from the Chechen language and published online by "Ukrainian Satanists," stated Chechen M***i Salah Mezhiyev.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar called on leading Muslim figures on October 30 to distance themselves from the anti-Semitic statements of Chechen M***i Salah Mezhiyev, who called Jews "enemies of Allah." Following the rabbi's statement, the Chechen news agency removed this portion of Mezhiyev's speech from its publication.

Within hours of Berl Lazar's publication, when many Russian media outlets quoted Mezhiyev's words with a link to the Chechen news agency's website, Grozny-Inform edited the report. The very statements Mezhiyev had quoted were removed from the article: "The enemies of Allah have long existed—the Jews and the movements they spawned, such as atheism," as well as the assertion that "Satanism is the source of Jewish ideas." The original version of the October 25th publication, containing all these words, has been preserved on the BezFormata news aggregator website and as a saved copy of the Grozny-Inform page in the web archive.

Salah Mezhiev's response to Berl Lazar, recorded on video and lasting over seven minutes, was published this evening by the official Telegram channel of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Chechnya. Mezhiev's explanation boils down to the fact that the Chief Rabbi of Russia used unreliable sources of information, which distorted the meaning of his statements.

"The evil spirits we call 'Satanism,' 'atheism,' 'Zionism,' and similar movements, including Na**sm. On October 20th, we aired a program aimed against atheists (...) This program was in Chechen and aimed at the filthy Chechen-speaking atheists who sit in Europe under Ichkerian flags. These atheists translated two words from our program, from my text, and posted them online," Mezhiyev explains in the video.

Ignoring the fact that the Russian translation of his words about Jews was distributed by the Chechen state news agency, the m***i reproached the rabbi for "closely monitoring" the speeches of opponents of the Chechen authorities.

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69356

* The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has recognized the "International Satanism Movement" as extremist and banned its activities.

31/10/2025

The Council of Europe and the OSCE recalled political prisoners in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

On International Day of Political Prisoners, the Council of Europe and the OSCE drew attention to the cases of those convicted on political grounds in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia, calling for their release and targeted sanctions against human rights violators.

"In his letter from prison, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. On this International Day of Political Prisoners, these words remind us of our universal responsibility to those deprived of their liberty to defend truth, freedom, and human dignity. Today, we honor the memory of the many people around the world whose voices are silenced by prison walls. Their courage in the face of oppression embodies the principles on which our societies are built: the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, dissent, information, and participation in public life without fear or reprisal," they said in a press release from the Council of Europe's Communications Department received by the Caucasian Knot.

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69334

31/10/2025

🇷🇺Anastasia Zinovkina complained about the lack of medical care in 🇬🇪prison.

The condition of Russian woman Anastasia Zinovkina, convicted in a drug case in Georgia, has worsened. She received no assistance from prison staff for eight hours, despite being unable to move due to back pain.

On October 11, russian activist Anastasia Zinovkina, who is serving time in Special Women's Facility No. 5 in Rustavi, sent an open letter to Georgian Patriarch Ilia II, calling on him to pay attention to the conditions of women in prison. According to the prisoner, women have been unable to shower with hot water for weeks, and any arrest for a woman in Georgia is effectively "the murder of the children she could have given birth to if she hadn't been in prison."

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69335

31/10/2025

Mezhiev's remarks about Jews outraged Russia's chief rabbi.

Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar called on leading Muslim figures to distance themselves from the anti-Semitic statements made by Chechen M***i Salah Mezhiyev, who called Jews "enemies of Allah." Following the rabbi's statement, the Chechen News Agency removed this portion of Mezhiyev's speech from its publication.

On the evening of October 30, Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar responded to a statement made by Chechen M***i Salah-Hadji Mezhiyev about Jews. Mezhiyev's words are offensive to the entire Jewish people and the Jewish faith; they are directed "against everything that all of Russia has been building for many years," the rabbi stated.

“The recent speech by the Chechen M***i, Mr. Salah-Khadzhi Mezhiyev, in which he declares my people ‘enemies of Allah’ and accuses them of spreading atheism, left an extremely unpleasant impression (...) Mr. Mezhiyev’s words clearly contradict the officially stated position of the Muslim community, whose leaders consistently advocate interfaith peace and mutual respect among representatives of traditional religions,” Berl Lazar wrote on his official Telegram channel.

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69333

31/10/2025

The Chechen Armed Forces declared the opposition movement NIYSO extremist.

A Chechen court has ruled to ban the activities of the Chechen opposition movement NIYSO throughout Russia, deeming it extremist.

The administrative lawsuit to ban the movement was filed with the Supreme Court of Chechnya by the Chechen Republic's prosecutor, Arsan Adayev.

In court, the prosecutor presented evidence "confirming the extremist nature of the organization's activities, including the distribution of materials containing calls for hostility and destabilization of the socio-political situation," the official Chechen news agency Grozny-Inform reported today.

The court upheld the claim, recognizing the movement as an extremist organization and banning its activities throughout the Russian Federation. "The court's decision regarding the termination of the organization's activities is subject to immediate ex*****on," the publication notes.

Representatives of the movement commented ironically on the court ruling in Chechnya. "We've been banned. We're dispersing," reads one publication dedicated to the decision.

Activists recalled that dissent has long been banned in Chechnya, and those who disagree are routinely labeled "extremists" and "terrorists."

The movement's participants also recalled that Ramzan Kadyrov promised to "meet in court" with Vladimir Shamanov in early October. They wondered whether the Chechen Supreme Court plans to issue an arrest warrant for Shamanov, whom the republic's leader has accused of war crimes. "Oh, right. The authorities in Moscow never gave permission for this," the author of the post concluded.

https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69330

31/10/2025

Four activists were detained after blocking Rustaveli Avenue.

For the 337th consecutive day, supporters of Georgia's European integration blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding the release of political prisoners and new parliamentary elections. At least four activists were detained after the road reopened.

After traffic was restored on Rustaveli Avenue, police detained director Tornike Tikaradze on Chichinadze Street. Activists Ioseb Kheoshvili and Kakha Japaridze were also detained near the parliament building, and activist Zaza Broladze was detained near the Freedom Square metro station. The detainees are presumably charged with administrative offenses related to blocking a road, the Pirveli television channel reported.

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69329

31/10/2025

Those who died in the autumn of 1992 were remembered in North Ossetia.

Memorial events in Vladikavkaz and the Prigorodny District were held on the 33rd anniversary of the start of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict.

The Ossetian-Ingush conflict occurred in the fall of 1992 in the Prigorodny District of North Ossetia and resulted in armed clashes. According to the prosecutor's office, 583 people were killed, 939 were wounded, and another 261 were missing. According to various estimates, from 30 to 60 thousand Ingush were forced to leave the territory of their historical residence in the Prigorodny district and Vladikavkaz, mostly settling in Ingushetia, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Ossetian-Ingush conflict of 1992".

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69327

31/10/2025

🇦🇿Hurriyyet TV editor-in-chief detained after search.

The State Security Service conducted a special operation at the editorial offices of the Hurriyet newspaper, the Hurriyyet.az website, and Hurriyyet TV. Editor-in-chief Vugar Mammadov was detained.

Today, security forces searched the Hurriyyet TV office, seizing computer equipment and several documents. During the operation, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Vugar Mammadov, was detained, Oxy.az reports.

Vugar Mammadov is the nephew of Sardar Jalaloglu, chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party. It is believed that this operation may be related to the Ramiz Mehdiyev case, according to Meydan.TV.

The operation was conducted on October 29, 2025, at approximately 6:00 PM. Approximately 10 State Security Service officers entered the office of the online television channel immediately after Mammadov's broadcast on Hurriyyet TV. After searching the office, they seized all of the channel's equipment. Around the same time, a search was also conducted at the editor-in-chief's rented apartment in the Nizami district. No documents or personal belongings were seized, Hurriyyet.az reports.

More: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/69324

30/10/2025

Volgograd activists moved their memorial event for the repressed online.

The reading of the names of the repressed as part of the "Return of the Names" campaign in Volgograd took place in homes, as security forces have been on duty at the monument to the victims of political repression for over six months.

Holding protests at the monument to victims of political repression in Volgograd has become dangerous, a civilian activist who wished to remain anonymous told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Since February 16, 2025, civilian-clothed Center E officers have been permanently stationed at the "Departing to Heaven" monument to victims of political repression in Volgograd, so the organizers of the memorial events have decided to abandon the protest this year in the form it has taken in Volgograd in recent years," he said.

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The reading of the names of those repressed as part of the "Return of Names" campaign in Volgograd took place in homes, as security forces have been on duty at the monument to the victims of political repression for over six months.

30/10/2025

Protesters in Tbilisi and Yerevan honored the memory of the victims of Stalin's repressions.

In Yerevan and Tbilisi, participants honored the memory of the victims of repression as part of the "Return of Names" campaign by reading the names of those executed. Some participants noted that it is important not only to preserve the memory of those killed during Stalin's terror, but also to support those currently imprisoned for political crimes.

Since 1991, October 30 has been celebrated in Russia as Remembrance Day for the Victims of Political Repression. In 2021, Sochi residents and visitors laid flowers at the monument to the victims of repression on this day. The 1930s in the USSR can be compared to today, when people end up in prison for their political views, Sochi residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted.

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In Yerevan and Tbilisi, participants honored the memory of the victims of repression as part of the "Return of Names" campaign, reading the names of those executed. Some participants noted the importance of not only preserving the memory of those killed during Stalin's terror but also supporting tho...

30/10/2025

The 🇦🇿Sadygov family called the fines for blocking roads in 🇬🇪Tbilisi unaffordable.

The defense appealed the fines imposed on Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov in Georgia, totaling more than $100,000, for his involvement in roadblocks. The appellate court upheld Sadigov's administrative arrest. Georgian authorities know that Afgan Sadigov is unable to pay these fines, his family reported.

Afgan Sadygov's lawyer, Mariam Kvelashvili, filed an appeal against the fines for "participating in roadblocks."

In a conversation with a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, she clarified that Sadygov was issued not 54, but 55 fines, each worth five thousand lari, for a total of 275 thousand lari (approximately $101,294).

According to her, Sadygov and the defense learned of the fines, covering the period from July 29 to October 17, 2025, only after the end of the trial for his arrest.

"Then we were informed of 54 fines, and later, when the court decision was issued, we learned of another fine. Thus, their total number was 55," the lawyer told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Police claim the fines were issued based on CCTV footage. However, Afgan Sadygov was not informed of the fines, the lawyer emphasized.

Kvelashvili noted that in the appeal, the defense requested video evidence of Afgan Sadygov's participation in the roadblocks, as the video recordings were not included in the decisions imposing the fines.

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The defense appealed the fines imposed on Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov in Georgia, totaling over $100,000, for his involvement in roadblocks. However, the appellate court upheld Sadygov's administrative detention. Sadygov's family reported that Georgian authorities are aware that Afgan Sadyg...

30/10/2025

Human rights activists have called for the case against the Circassian activist to be dropped.

About 30 human rights defenders and activists from Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and the Krasnodar Territory have demanded that the criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova be dropped due to the lack of evidence of a crime.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," journalist and Circassian activist Larisa Tuptsokova, who lives in Georgia, learned at the end of September that a criminal case had been opened against her in Russia for extremism. About a month earlier, a fake website for the Circassian Cultural Center in Tbilisi, recognized as extremist, appeared online, where publications were posted in Larisa Tuptsokova's name. In October, the journalist reported that security forces had searched her parents' home in Adygea and interrogated her relatives.

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Around 30 human rights defenders and activists from Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Krasnodar Krai have demanded that the criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova be dropped due to the absence of evidence of a crime.