Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of November 13-19, 2023

Protests in Georgia, echoes of the riots in Makhachkala, Adam Kadyrov’s new awards, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, trial in the Nikita Zhuravel’s case, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of November 13-19, 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Protests in Georgia

On November 18, members of the “Defenders of the Rioni Gorge” movement arrived in Tbilisi to hold a protest action under the slogan “Cancel the license to transfer the Racha forests”. The activists tried to set up a tent in front of the building of the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. However, the police interfered, not allowing to set up a tent, and clashes occurred. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported about the detention of 13 people for petty hooliganism and failure to obey lawful requests of the police. On November 19, the detained protesters were released after the defence convinced the court to take a 10-day break in the trial. The rally of the Racha forest defenders continued the other day in front of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture. The protest action was joined by the activists released in the courtroom.

About 50 residents of the city of Akhaltsikhe held a protest action and demanded from the authorities not to sell a local school to an investor. The protestors state that officials intentionally delayed repairs of the school building in order to justify its transfer to a private investor due to the building’s dilapidated condition.

On November 3, stage section workers of the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Paliashvili in Tbilisi began a strike demanding an increase in their wages. On the 13th day of their strike, the protestors complained that the theatre’s administration was indifferent to their demand for a wage increase, which had long been 500 laris (about 190 US dollars).

Forced migrants from Abkhazia and South Ossetia collected more than 10,000 signatures under a petition demanding an increase in the amount of their benefits. At present, it stands at 45 laris (about 17 US dollars). According to the authors of the petition, the benefit level has not been increased for several years, while prices for goods continue to rise. The forced migrants requested the authorities of Georgia to equalize the benefit amount with the subsistence minimum. According to the National Statistics Service of Georgia as of September, the cost of living for men of working age was 251 laris (about 93.6 US dollars).

Participants of a protest action in Kakheti have claimed that entrepreneurs who delivered their grape harvest to a winery have not been able to receive money for their products for two months already. The protestors demand to pay out the debt as soon as possible. At a protest action near a Tsinandali winery, winegrowers have stated that they have been demanding payment for the grapes delivered to the plant for two months already. According to the winegrowers, the amounts due stand at hundreds of thousands of laris (1000 laris stands at approximately 369 US dollars).

Echoes of riots in Makhachkala

By November 18, in Dagestan, courts had received administrative cases instituted against 412 people accused in a case on the unrest in Makhachkala. The police drew up protocols against 394 people under the article on violation of the procedure for holding actions. Out of those 394, 15 people were also prosecuted for petty hooliganism, four – for violating inspection requirements at the airport, and other three – for failure to obey lawful requests of the police. Protocols under the article on organizing mass stays of citizens in public places were drawn up against other 18 people.

At least 27 people challenged their arrests under the article on mass riots (providing for three to eight years of imprisonment) in the Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan. Of them, 17 cases have already been considered, and the court’s decisions have been upheld in all cases.

The “Human Rights Watch” (HRW) organization treats as inadequate the response of the Russia’s authorities to anti-Semitic actions in the republics of Northern Caucasus, accompanied by the use of violence. The human rights defenders note that the country’s authorities treated the participants in the pogrom at the Makhachkala airport and other anti-Israeli actions, such as the arson of a Jewish cultural centre under construction in Nalchik and the gathering at a hotel in Khasavyurt, differently than the participants in peaceful political actions. At the same time, the authorities of Russia are not trying to stop xenophobia, the human rights defenders have pointed out.

Adam Kadyrov’s new awards

The Russian University of Special Forces hosted an event organized by the “Labour Valour of Russia” public organization, at which Adam Kadyrov was awarded the Labour Order and the Medal “For Contribution to the Development of the Russian University of Special Forces” of the 1st degree.

“Furthermore, for his courage in defending his faith and traditions, Adam Kadyrov received a letter of welcome from Alexei Levin, the chair of the central board of the All-Russian public organization of heroes, holders of state awards and laureates of state awards ‘Labour Valour of Russia’, honorary builder of Russia, Hero of Socialist Labour,” reported Akhmed Dudaev, Minister of Chechnya for National Policy, External Relations, Press, and Information.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

On November 18, a resolution in a case against fined Asiyat Magomedova was published on the website of the Kizlyar City Court. It is alleged that Asiyat Magomedova “in her free time watches YouTube, where she is subscribed to Ukrainian channels with video materials discrediting government bodies of the Russian Federation.” Asiyat Magomedova has also posted a video on her WhatsApp* status about the situation in the Avdeevka city, which shows a dialogue between a Ukrainian soldier and a child who is being evacuated from the city.

On November 13, the Elista City Court found Valery Badmaev, the editor-in-chief of the “Sovremennaya Kalmykia” (Modern Kalmykia) publication, guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. The journalist was sentenced to a fine of 150,000 roubles, and he was also banned for two years from publishing a newspaper, running a YouTube channel, and publishing texts and videos on the Internet.

Trial in Nikita Zhuravel’s case

On November 16, in Grozny, a court again postponed the hearing in the case on the burning of the Koran instituted against Nikita Zhuravel, a resident of Volgograd. The court hearing was postponed due to the failure of the imams of Grozny mosques, acting as victims, to appear in court. On November 2, the court began considering Nikita Zhuravel’s case on the third attempt.

The Chechen imams became involved as victims in Nikita Zhuravel’s case against their will and are ignoring the court hearings because they did not receive instructions on their testimonies, believes human rights defender Svetlana Gannushkina**. The absence of the imams should not affect the course of the trial, but it ultimately delays the consideration of the case, notes human rights defender Oyub Titiev.

The prosecution of Nikita Zhuravel is politically motivated, states the human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial”. The human rights defenders demand to immediately release the resident of Volgograd and initiate an investigation into his beating by Ramzan Kadyrov’s son Adam.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By November 19, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 2923 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 1436 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 1487 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 671 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 601, in the Rostov Region – 323, in the Krasnodar Territory – 248, in North Ossetia – 235, in the Astrakhan Region – 229, in Stavropol Territory – 210, in Chechnya – 138, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 114, in Kalmykia – 49, in Ingushetia – 44, in Adygea – 37, and in Karachay-Cherkessia – 24.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.