Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of February 11-17

Self-explosion of suicide bomber in Khasavyurt and subsequent special operations in Dagestan; putting Givi Targamadze, a Georgian MP, on the Russia's wanted list; verdict to policemen accused of torturing a detainee in the Stavropol Territory; dissolution of jurymen in Budanov's murder case; deprivation of Shirshov, Russia's State Duma Deputy from the Krasnodar Territory, of his deputy's immunity; announcement in Azerbaijan of a reward for an ear of the writer Ailisli, who wrote a novel about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict; mass poisoning in South Ossetia, – look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of February 11-17, 2013, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Dagestan: terror act at entrance to Khasavyurt and subsequent special operations

The explosion was triggered early in the morning on February 14 near the block post "Lava-250", stationed at the entrance to the city of Khasavyurt from the side of Makhachkala. Under preliminary data, the driver of a Lada Priora car triggered a bomb, when policemen wanted to examine the car. According to the MIA of Russia, the explosion killed four policemen; and six more were hospitalized with their wounds. The Investigatory Committee qualified the incident as a terror act.

On that very day, not far from the place of the terror act, an armed grouping was blocked that supposedly had to do with the explosion at the road police block post. As a result of a special operation, six militants were killed, including the supposed organizer, the Russia's MIA has explained. At night on February 17, in the course of a skirmish that burst out in a forest of the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan three more supposed members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) were liquidated, including Daniyal Zargalov, who, as explained the Russia's National Anti-Terror Committee (NAC), was the organizer of the terror act in Khasavyurt.

Georgia: MP Targamadze put on wanted list in Russia

On February 14, the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) announced that the Georgian parliamentarian Givi Targamadze was made a convict within the criminal case about mass disorders in Russia and put on the wanted list. On February 15, Targamadze was put on the database of searched persons, the press service of the Chief Department for Moscow of the Russia's MIA has announced. Earlier, on December 11, 2012, the ICRF stated that Targamadze had rendered financial aid to Russian oppositionists Sergey Udaltsov, Leonid Lebedev and Leonid Razvozhaev in organizing mass disorders.

Givi Targamadze himself said in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on February 14 that the video showing their preparation for mass disorders in the territory of Russia was deliberately edited. Earlier, Sergey Udaltsov, the coordinator of the "Left-Wing Front", also called the film "Anatomy of Protest-2" a "coarse falsification." In the opinion of activists of the Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia (AYLG), the film "Anatomy of Protest-2" contains no statements, which could be treated as violations of the Georgian and international law.

Stavropol Territory: ex-policemen accused of torturing detainee convicted

On February 13, the judge of the Predgorny Court of the Stavropol Territory passed a verdict to four former law enforcers, accused of abusing their service duties and deliberate causing heavy health damage to Vyacheslav Merekha, a resident of the farm named Kalaborka. The convicted ex-policemen were sentenced to three-six years of imprisonment. Merekha was detained by agents of the Predgorny ROVD (District Interior Division) at night on December 15, 2010. At the police station he was exposed to moral and physical pressure. The victim survived, withstood three surgeries and became an invalid. The convicts their guilt; however, after sentencing they were arrested right in the courtroom. As stated by the employee of the Fund "Public Verdict", who presented the victim's interests, the defence was satisfied with the verdict and would not appeal against it.

MCC disbands jury in Budanov's murder case

On February 13, the Moscow City Court (MCC) disbanded the panel of jurymen engaged in the case of murdering colonel Yuri Budanov, thus, satisfying the petition of the accusation. Earlier, the judge announced that two jurymen had quitted the panel; with 11 of jurymen left. Now that the disbandment has been announced, the case in relation to the suspect Yusup Temerkhanov will be reconsidered. His defence has stated an intention to challenge the panel disbandment.

Russia's State Duma deprives its MP Shirshov from the Krasnodar Territory of deputy's immunity

On February 13, the sitting of the State Duma of the Russian Federation deprived Konstantin Shirshov, an MP from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and from the Krasnodar Territory, of his deputy's immunity. Shirshov is suspected of a fraud attempt associated with selling hid mandate for 7.5 million euros. Earlier, the MP, who refuses to admit his guilt, applied for voluntary lifting his deputy's immunity and asked to consider the issue at the sitting without debates.

Azerbaijan: politician Gadjiev warned about responsibility for his announcing a reward for the ear of writer Ailisli

On February 12, it became known that the pro-governmental party "Modern Musavat" made a decision to appoint a reward of 10,000 manats(about 12,788 US dollars) for the person, who would cut off an ear of the writer Airam Ailisli, the author of the novel "Stone Dreams" with elaborations about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and interrelations of the two nations. The information was confirmed by the party leader Khafiz Gadjiev, who said that the decision was final and would not be cancelled. According to the spokesman of the press service of the MIA of Azerbaijan, Khafiz Gadjiev was summoned to the police, where he was officially warned about his responsibility for instigating to illegal actions. Then, Gadjiev said that he gave up the idea to cut off an ear of the author of the novel.

South Ossetia: 142 persons address Tskhinvali hospital with poisoning

On February 12, it became known about an outbreak on intestinal infection in South Ossetia. By February 14, a total of 142 persons addressed the infection ward of the republic's hospital in Tskhinvali; on that very day 28 of them were hospitalized; they are all children – from three-week old babies to teens of 16. Under preliminary data, the reason of the outbreak was in some retroviral infection. Earlier, it was not excluded that the outbreak could be caused by the poor quality of the drinking water, which does not meet the respective sanitary standards.