Latest News & Updates

Abkhazia's Ministry of Education has accused a pro-government political party of interfering in state schooling after it hosted the launch of a new language textbook. The ministry strongly criticised the United Abkhazia party for holding a presentation for a fourth-grade Abkhaz language textbook at its political headquarters. Education officials warned that only the ministry has the legal authority to recommend teaching materials, adding that the book's authors must follow es

Iqbal Abilov An imprisoned Azerbaijani scholar and ethnic minority activist has been tortured in a Baku detention facility after protesting during a court hearing, his defence committee and family say. Iqbal Abilov, the editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy News journal who is serving an 18-year sentence, was allegedly tied to an iron bed and beaten in solitary confinement. The 37-year-old’s supporters say he was punished for wearing a T-shirt featuring verses by nat

Samira Gasimli A court in Azerbaijan has named political activist Samira Gasimli as an accused person in a criminal libel case she claims is politically motivated. Binagadi District Court in Baku made the ruling on Tuesday, following a complaint by Gurbanali Yusibov, the key witness in her husband's separate criminal trial. Mr Yusibov filed the private prosecution in April, alleging Mrs Gasimli defamed and insulted him on Facebook, and made statements threatening his safety.

A Tbilisi court has ordered the Georgian television channel Formula to pay a prominent film director 10,000 lari (£2,900; $3,810) after upholding a defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. The lawsuit, filed by filmmaker Goga Khaindrava, concerned an investigative report aired in January 2024 on the channel’s Saturday Formula programme. The broadcast alleged that Khaindrava had run a corruption scheme, helping foreign nationals enter Georgia illegally in exchange for payme

Akhmat Kadyrov The daughter-in-law of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been divorced, beaten and hospitalised after being accused of practising witchcraft, a regional opposition group has claimed. NIYSO, an activist movement opposing the Chechen regime, said Tamila Makhmatova – the wife of Mr Kadyrov’s eldest son, Akhmat – was targeted alongside several of her relatives. The claims, which have not been independently verified, allege that Ms Makhmatova and her mother are curr

An Azerbaijani court has awarded 40,000 manats (£18,400) to the father of a soldier tortured to death in military custody, rejecting his five-million-manat compensation claim. Ilham Ocaqverdiyev had sought five million manats (£2.3m) in moral damages and 310,000 manats (£142,000) for material losses following the death of his son, Ruslan. The Nasimi District Court in Baku rejected the material claim entirely. In her ruling, Judge Afsana Heydarova argued that the passage of ni

Security forces in southern Russia have arrested a 39-year-old man accused of using the Telegram messaging app to call for missile strikes on Moscow. The suspect allegedly operated an anonymous Telegram channel under the pseudonym "Walter", where he published extremist material, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said. According to regional news outlet Utrenniy Yug, which reported the arrest on 14 July, Russian authorities claim the man shares "Ukrainian nationalist ideology"

Ruslan Izzetli An Azerbaijani opposition activist on trial in the "Toplum TV" case has told a Baku court he is ready to face prison so his young son can grow up in a free country. Ruslan Izzetli, a founding member of the Third Republic Platform (III Respublika Platforması), delivered his final address to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Monday. Rather than a traditional legal defence, he read aloud a letter dedicated to his nine-year-old son. State prosecutors have requested

Goga Khaindrava A court in Tbilisi has fined the opposition-leaning TV channel Formula ₾10,000 ($3,800) and ordered a retraction of its reports on a pro-government film director. The Tbilisi City Court ruled on Tuesday in favour of Goga Khaindrava, who had accused the broadcaster of defamation and damaging his honour and reputation. Judge Liana Kazhashvili ordered Formula to pay compensation for moral harm and broadcast a formal retraction of the contested segments. Khaindrav

Dr Arpine Soghoyan A prominent Armenian doctor and a leading lawyer say they have been dismissed from their public sector roles in political retaliation for criticising Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government. Dr Arpine Soghoyan, a senior gynaecologist with 21 years of experience, said she was forced out of her state clinic job on 13 July, two months after a public confrontation with Mr Pashinyan. During an election campaign event on 18 May, Dr Soghoyan confronted the pri

Ali Karimli The family and lawyers of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli say his prison conditions have been further restricted, with his daily exercise cut and family phone calls banned. According to reports from the opposition-linked Azadliq newspaper on Monday, Karimli was again denied his weekly phone call to his family last week. His daily outdoor exercise has been halved to one hour, and prison guards have blocked his lawyers from handing over written upda

Iqbal Abilov Supporters of jailed Azerbaijani researcher Iqbal Abilov have accused prison authorities of torturing him after he appeared in court wearing a T-shirt featuring political poetry. The 37-year-old academic, who serves as editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy’s journal, was reportedly beaten and bound to a metal bed in Baku’s Detention Facility No 1. Abilov’s defence committee said the punishment followed his appearance at a court hearing on 7 July wearing

An independent art gallery in the Georgian city of Gori is fighting a legal battle in the country's Supreme Court to prevent local authorities from evicting them. The dispute began after the Gori Art House hosted an exhibition critical of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which organisers say triggered a campaign of intimidation by local officials. Local municipal authorities have demanded the group vacate the former Soviet-era building, claiming they plan to convert the site

A Russian prison inmate has been fined after telling military recruiters that fighting in Ukraine is "haram", or forbidden under Islamic law. Alibek Suyunchev was ordered to pay 30,000 roubles ($390) by the Chegem District Court in the southern republic of Kabarda-Balkaria. The court found him guilty of "discrediting" the country's armed forces. The incident occurred during a meeting inside the prison where officials from the Russian defence ministry were campaigning for inma

Three jailed Azerbaijani activists have condemned President Ilham Aliyev's "one-man system" during their final courtroom speeches in Baku, as a controversial media trial nears its conclusion. The defendants, associated with the independent online channel Toplum TV, are among nine people facing up to 16 years in prison on charges including smuggling and tax evasion. They deny all charges, calling them politically motivated. Akif Qurbanov, speaker of the opposition Third Republ

Mirvasid Aliyev An Azerbaijani religious activist sentenced to 10 years in prison as a teenager has been placed in solitary confinement, according to his family. Mirvasid Aliyev, who was convicted in 2023, was transferred from Umbakı prison to Correctional Facility No. 2 on 20 June. His mother told local media she had not heard from him since the day of his transfer, raising serious concerns over his safety. "He called home the day he was transferred and we spoke for about tw

Samir Ashurov An Azerbaijani appeal court has rejected a request for the early release of political activist Samir Ashurov, his wife says. The decision was delivered during a hearing presided over by Judge Afghan Alakbarov. Mr Ashurov’s wife, Nurana Ashurova, said that the Khazar District Court had previously also refused his application, despite the activist having already served two-thirds of his sentence. Mr Ashurov, a political emigrant, was deported from Germany to Azerb

Azerbaijan continues to have one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe despite official efforts to reform its penal system, according to a Council of Europe report. The latest SPACE II annual report, published by the Council of Europe (CoE), reveals that Azerbaijan has 271 prisoners per 100,000 people, a rate roughly two and a half times the European median of 110. Only Türkiye recorded a higher rate, with 458 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants. Other nations with high in

Aleko Elisashvili A court in Georgia has sentenced opposition leader Aleko Elisashvili to 13 years in prison for attempting to set fire to a court building. Judge Giorgi Gelashvili delivered the verdict at Tbilisi City Court during a closed session on Sunday, after members of the public and the media were ordered to leave the courtroom. Defence lawyers had requested that journalists be allowed to hear the final ruling, but the judge rejected the appeal. Elisashvili, who leads

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Justice Minister Togrul Huseynov has met a senior Council of Europe official to discuss judicial co-operation, following years of friction over the country’s human rights record. Huseynov held talks with Gianluca Esposito, the Council of Europe's Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, the Azerbaijani justice ministry announced on 8 July. The ministry said discussions focused on legal and institutional reforms, including forensic science, probati