RFE/RL Caucasus Report
02.08.2013
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region.
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As Armenia Walks Tightrope Between Russia And EU, Public Opinion May Be Shifting
Yerevan has just weeks to decide between proceeding with deeper relations with the EU or maintaining its traditional close ties with Russia. At this key moment, several strange moves by Moscow seem to be pushing Armenia to the West. More Women in Georgia have launched a campaign to protest the practice of "virginity inspections" for young brides. Women can currently pay for a voluntary inspection when their future husbands want documented assurance of their chastity. But critics say the procedure is demeaning and that virginity tests are no longer an appropriate measure of a woman's morality in 21st-century Georgia. More 
Syrian Fighters Tell North Caucasus Muslims 'Wage Jihad at Home!'
In a short video address dated July 30, a group of Syrian fighters has appealed to Muslims in the North Caucasus to wage jihad in Russia rather than travel to Syria to participate in the fighting there. Specifically, they refer to the recent appeal by self-styled Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov to prevent the holding of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in February 2014. More 
For Ibragimbekov, One Key Question: Will He Or Won't He?
When revered filmmaker Rustam Ibragimbekov was nominated to run against Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan's presidential election, many hoped the October vote would finally represent a legitimate political contest. Since then, however, a criminal investigation and unsuccessful efforts to shed his Russian citizenship have kept Ibragimbekov out of Azerbaijan -- raising doubts about when, if ever, he'll return. More 
More Threats For RFE/RL Reporter
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has called on Azerbaijani authorities to investigate a renewed blackmail and intimidation campaign against investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova. More 
Ingush Insurgency Commander Affirms Support For Embattled Cleric
The new commander of the Ingush wing of the North Caucasus insurgency, Emir Ubaydullakh, has affirmed his qualified support for Khamzat Chumakov, the hugely popular imam of the Nasyr-Kort Mosque on the outskirts of Nazran. More Elizabeth Stone, a medal-winning U.S. Paralympic swimmer, never knew who brought her into the world or why she was given up at birth. The Khurtsidze family, thousands of miles away in rural Georgia, always wondered what happened to the disabled child they left at a local orphanage. Now, after an emotional reunion, everything is clear. More Azerbaijani homeowners have staged an angry protest against the demolition of their homes in the capital's central Xutor district. More 
Gruesome Dog-Cull Video Sparks Outrage In Baku
Baku's controversial canine-control policy has come under scrutiny once more with the emergence of a video showing some dogs being killed in front of children in a city suburb on July 30. More 
Georgia To Restore Stalin Monument
A ministry spokeswoman said the Josef Stalin monument in Gori that was torn down amid a crackdown on Soviet-era monuments by pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2010 will be restored by December 21, Stalin's birthday. More 
EU Eastern Partnership Program: A Status Checklist
RFE/RL takes a look at what the future holds for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine in the run-up to November's Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, where several decisions about the countries' relationship with Brussels will be ironed out. More 
Ingushetian Authorities Step Up Pressure On Respected Cleric
After an interval of almost one year, the authorities in Ingushetia appear to have resumed their efforts to sideline and silence Khamzat Chumakov, a widely respected cleric who in recent years has repeatedly criticized human rights abuses and corruption within the republic’s leadership. More 
Russia's Aleksei Navalny: Hope Of The Nation -- Or The Nationalists?
As Aleksei Navalny increasingly becomes the focus of anti-Kremlin opposition in Russia, many liberals who have led that opposition for a decade are raising concerns about his past support for Russian nationalist causes. More 
Armenian Civil Society Scores Tactical Victory
Apparently capitulating in the face of mass public protests, in a written statement on July 25 Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian announced the "suspension" of a 50 percent increase in the cost of municipal transport that went into effect five days previously. More |
