RFE/RL CAUCASUS REPORT
08.11.2013
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region.For more stories on the Caucasus, please visit and bookmark our Caucasus page . |
 Baku Smooths Over Its Rights Record With A Thick Layer Of Caviar In recent years, Baku has spent millions of dollars to persuade politicians in Europe and the United States that the oil-rich Caucasus country is a reliable partner -- and to distract them from criticism that the country is authoritarian and fails to respect fundamental human rights. More  Georgian Torture Suspect Extradited An alleged accomplice of a wanted former Georgian official charged with torture and illegal incarceration has been extradited from Austria. More  Obama Sends Letter To Aliyev, Hails Karabakh Talks U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed the decision by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, to meet later this month to renew discussions related to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. More  Yerevan Signs Memorandum With EEC Armenia has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission, which oversees the integration of former Soviet republics around the Russia-led Customs Union. More  Armenian Nationalist Leader Claims He Was Beaten By Police Chief The leader of Armenia's nationalist Tsegakron party, Shant Harutiunian, has accused Armenia's police chief of beating him after he and his supporters were detained earlier this week. More  Georgian Parliament Speaker Promises No Politically Motivated Prosecutions Georgia's parliament speaker says there will be no politically motivated prosecutions in his country. More  Zhirinovsky Comments Trigger Outcry Across North Caucasus Not for the first time, the chairman of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and Russian State Duma deputy speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky has incurred the wrath of North Caucasus officials by making disparaging remarks about the region. More  Armenian Police, Nationalists Clash Police in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, clashed with dozens of nationalists who tried to march to the presidential residence. More  Critics Call New Russian Counterterror Law A Return To 'Collective Justice' With the 2014 WInter Olympics in Sochi just months away, President Vladimir Putin has signed a tough new terrorism law aimed at enhancing security. But critics say the law is a throwback to the era of Josef Stalin. More  Russia To Hold Relatives Of 'Terrorists' Financially Responsible For Material Damage Under the new law, any young man who "heads to the forest" to join the insurgency and is taught how to handle a Kalashnikov rifle is liable in the event of his capture to be charged with "terrorism," even if he has never fired a single shot.More  Saakashvili Pardons Ex-Minister Georgia's outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili has pardoned former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia. More  New Georgian Prime Ministerial Candidate Named Outgoing Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has proposed as his successor the youngest member of the current cabinet, 31-year-old Interior Minister Irakli Garibashvili, describing him as "very practical," "very honest," and "a good manager." More  Former Georgian Defense Minister Jailed A day after Georgian Dream candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili was elected to succeed Mikhail Saakashvili as president of Georgia, a Tbilisi court sentenced one of Saakashvili’s close associates, Bacho Akhalaya, to three years and nine months in prison on charges of torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners. More |
