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The head of Armenia's Apostolic Church is to stand trial on criminal charges in a historic first for the country, following a dispute over the dismissal of a pro-government bishop. Catholicos Karekin II and five other senior church officials face allegations of deliberately refusing to enforce a court order to reinstate Bishop Gevorg Saroyan. According to the independent Armenian news website Civilnet, prosecutors have placed Karekin II and his co-defendants under a travel ba

A military court in southern Russia has sentenced two soldiers to a year in prison each after they went missing from their units during the country's ongoing mobilisation. Navruzbeg Gadzhimuradov and Kamil Abrekov were found guilty of leaving their posts without permission for more than 10 days, the press service for the Nalchik Garrison Military Court announced. Both men were sentenced to serve one year in a general regime penal colony. According to prosecutors, Gadzhimurado

A Telegram channel that published personal details of North Ossetian women and called for violence against them over their appearance has been blocked following a public intervention by journalist Ksenia Sobchak. The channel, Kavkazskaya Obshchina (Caucasian Community), became inaccessible hours after Ms Sobchak published a video on 29 July appealing to the North Caucasian republic's head, Sergei Menyailo, to intervene. The immediate trigger for her appeal was the harassment

Two Azerbaijani bloggers have been detained for social media posts on religion and atheism, in the first high-profile application of a new public morality law. Uzeyir Abbas, 47, and Meqsed Bagirov, 31, who streams under the name "Chevik", were arrested following online debates on Islam and religious belief. The detentions have ignited debate in the South Caucasus nation over the boundaries between religious tolerance and freedom of expression. Both men were charged under Arti

An exiled Azerbaijani blogger has confronted two senior officials from Baku outside the German Chancellery, leading to a heated street debate over political prisoners, human rights, and land rights. Alamdar Bunyatov approached Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev during President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to Germany. A video recording of the encounter was widely shared across social media, drawing support from critics of the Azerbaijani go

International rights organisations have condemned an Azerbaijani court after nine journalists and activists linked to independent outlet Toplum TV were handed prison sentences of up to 15 years. The Baku Serious Crimes Court imposed sentences totalling 121 years on the defendants, who were convicted of smuggling and illegal entrepreneurship — charges all nine deny. Rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the rulings as the harshest measure yet in the Azerbaijani go

Azerbaijan sentences opposition leader's bodyguard to nine years in prison An Azerbaijani court has sentenced a former bodyguard of opposition leader Ali Kerimli to nine years in prison on assault charges that rights groups say are politically motivated. Kenan Zeynalov, 50, also known as Kenan Basgal, was convicted on Thursday at the Baku Court of Serious Crimes of aggravated bodily harm and hooliganism involving a weapon. Prosecutors alleged that Zeynalov stabbed a man, iden

A court in Ukraine has released Bahruz Hasanli, a member of Azerbaijan’s main opposition party who was detained in Kharkiv on an Azerbaijani extradition request. Hasanli, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (AXCP), announced his release on social media shortly after leaving the courtroom. "I was released from the courtroom just now," he wrote, adding that he would provide further details after taking time to recover. The activist, who served as a personal securi

Three jailed Azerbaijani journalists have refused to answer prosecutors during a court hearing in Baku, accusing authorities of fabricating smuggling charges to silence independent reporting. Khayala Aghayeva, Fatima Movlamli and Ramin Deko testified at the Baku Serious Crimes Court on 24 July as part of an ongoing trial against 12 media figures linked to independent outlet Meydan TV. All 12 defendants face multiple charges, primarily currency smuggling, which they deny. They

Armenian detainees in Azerbaijani prisons are suffering from broken bones, severe weight loss and a denial of medical treatment, according to a human rights lawyer representing their families. Siranush Sahakyan, who represents the detainees at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said reports of physical violence and deteriorating health among the prisoners were credible, despite ongoing restrictions on independent verification. "We have received information about indiv

Azerbaijan’s media regulator has warned it may restrict Iranian journalists after Tehran designated Azerbaijan State Television (AzTV) as an "enemy media" organisation. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence added AzTV to a list of blacklisted foreign media outlets on 12 July under updated espionage legislation, warning that any cooperation with the channel carries criminal penalties. Azerbaijan's Media Development Agency (MEDİA) described the designation as surprising in a statemen

Pro-European demonstrators in Georgia have altered the route of their weekly rally in Tbilisi, as daily anti-government protests mark more than 600 consecutive days. Marchers gathered near the Avlabari metro station on Saturday to head towards the government administration building, after ongoing renovation work blocked their traditional route along Rustaveli Avenue. Demonstrators waved Georgian, European Union (EU) and Ukrainian flags, repeating calls for fresh parliamentary

Imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofiq Yaqublu has reported severe power and water outages at his correctional facility during extreme summer temperatures, according to his family. His daughter, Nigar Hazi, shared the details on social media on 27 July, stating that Prison No. 17 has had electricity for only one or two hours a day over the past week. She said temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) have caused food in refrigerators to spoil, leaving inmates unable to ba

Activists from the Chechen diaspora have held protests outside German embassies in three European capitals against the planned deportation of an asylum seeker to Russia. Demonstrators gathered in Vienna, Prague and Helsinki to urge German authorities not to deport Muslim Alkhazov, warning that his life would be in danger if returned. Human rights activist Roza Dunayeva said Mr Alkhazov's family had faced years of persecution, abductions and torture in Chechnya. "Muslim Alkhaz

A doctor and pro-European activist in Georgia has been sentenced to 25 days in detention over a Facebook post containing profanities directed at police officers. Giorgi Akhobadze was arrested by police at his home in Tbilisi shortly after the city's court delivered the ruling on Friday. The case stems from a complaint filed by the Interior Ministry's new Department for Monitoring Hate Speech after Dr Akhobadze published comments targeting officers who had previously testified

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced nine journalists and democracy activists to between 12 and 15 years in prison on charges including currency smuggling and money laundering. The Baku Serious Crimes Court handed down the combined 121-year prison terms on 27 July following a trial that rights groups and international press freedom organisations have condemned as politically motivated. The defendants, who are linked to the independent online broadcaster Toplum TV, the Institut

At least 10 people have been arrested in Tbilisi as pro-European demonstrations in Georgia reached their 606th consecutive day. Police detained the activists outside the city's municipal council on Freedom Square after they displayed placards insulting Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said the demonstrators faced administrative charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying lawful police demands. "T

Armenia’s electoral authority has stripped opposition politician Narek Karapetyan of his legal immunity, paving the way for prosecutors to open a criminal investigation against him. The Central Election Commission (CEC) approved a motion from the Prosecutor General’s Office to initiate proceedings against Karapetyan, who led campaigning for the Strong Armenia Alliance during recent parliamentary elections. However, the commission rejected a second motion seeking permission to

A Georgian pro-EU activist and comedian has been beaten outside his home in Tbilisi following what supporters say was a targeted smear campaign by pro-government media. Onise Okriashvili was attacked by three men in the capital's Vake district late on Tuesday. Video footage of the assault shared on social media shows the men hitting Mr Okriashvili while accusing him of disrespecting Nodar Dumbadze, a celebrated 20th-century Georgian author. "You insulted Nodar Dumbadze, how d

An Azerbaijani court has extended the pre-trial detention of Azel.TV director Afghan Sadygov until October, following an exchange between Azerbaijan's chief prosecutor and the Council of Europe over his arrest. Sadygov’s wife, Sevinj Sadygova, confirmed that Binagadi District Court in Baku extended his detention, which was previously due to expire on 30 July. The decision follows a sharp response from Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev to Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Euro