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A key parliamentary committee in Abkhazia has rejected a proposal by President Badra Gunba to delay a law requiring election candidates to speak the Abkhaz language. The legislation, which was adopted in 2021, is scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2027. It mandates that all individuals running for parliament must be proficient in Abkhaz. President Gunba had proposed postponing the implementation of the language requirement until 2032 for candidates who are not ethnical

A Russian military court has sentenced a man extradited from France to 18 years in prison for training and fighting with the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. Ruslan Botashev, 47, was convicted by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don of participating in a terrorist organisation and undergoing militant training. He will serve the first five years of his sentence in a high-security prison, with the remaining 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Botashe

A sweeping new law in Azerbaijan regulating social media platforms is a step towards establishing a permanent, institutionalised system of state control over digital expression, a leading media expert has warned. Under the legislation passed by the Milli Majlis (parliament), social media companies must verify that users are over 16, establish local representation in the country, and respond to government inquiries within five working days. Platforms that fail to comply face h

An Azerbaijani teacher on trial for stabbing a man has told a Baku court that he was framed because of his online criticism of the country's government. Dayanat Chalabiyev, 45, has been in custody for seven months since his arrest in December 2025. The English teacher faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of hooliganism and intentionally causing serious harm to health. Speaking at the Baku Grave Crimes Court on 16 July, Mr Chalabiyev accused the judicial panel of indiff

Four Azerbaijani religious activists on a hunger strike demanding the release of jailed female journalists and activists have been moved to solitary confinement, family members say. The men, who are members of the Muslim Unity Movement (MBH), are being held at the Umbakı Penitentiary Complex near the capital, Baku. According to local journalist Arzu Abdulla, who spoke to the family of one of the detainees, Süleyman Ələkbərov, Vəli Allahverdiyev and Vüqar Alıyev began their hu

A total of 379 Georgian public officials received cash, property and other gifts worth a combined 24m lari ($8.7m; £6.8m) over an eight-month period, according to an anti-corruption watchdog. Transparency International (TI) Georgia said the assets, declared between September 2025 and April 2026, included residential properties, land, luxury cars and firearms. The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, dismissed the findings, accusing the organisation of "mani

Aytaj Tapdig The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded that Azerbaijan provide immediate medical treatment to jailed independent journalist Aytaj Tapdig, warning that her health is deteriorating behind bars. The US-based press freedom watchdog said Tapdig, who is being held under the high-profile Meydan TV prosecution, has been denied medical examinations despite suffering from severe breathing difficulties exacerbated by harsh prison conditions. During a court

Kase Kik A Russian court has sentenced exiled Circassian activist Kase Kik to seven years in prison in his absence for allegedly spreading false information about the military. Speaking to the independent news outlet Caucasian Knot, Kik said the ruling was a "politically motivated" response to his human rights advocacy and criticism of the war in Ukraine. The Cherkessk City Court in southern Russia handed down the verdict, but Kik has lived outside the country since 2022. "I

The daughter-in-law of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been divorced, beaten and hospitalised after being accused of practising witchcraft, a regional opposition group has claimed. NIYSO, an activist movement opposing the Chechen regime, said Tamila Makhmatova – the wife of Mr Kadyrov’s eldest son, Akhmat – was targeted alongside several of her relatives. The claims, which have not been independently verified, allege that Ms Makhmatova and her mother are currently in a seri

A Tbilisi court has ordered the Georgian television channel Formula to pay a prominent film director 10,000 lari (£2,900; $3,810) after upholding a defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. The lawsuit, filed by filmmaker Goga Khaindrava, concerned an investigative report aired in January 2024 on the channel’s Saturday Formula programme. The broadcast alleged that Khaindrava had run a corruption scheme, helping foreign nationals enter Georgia illegally in exchange for payme

Samira Gasimli A court in Azerbaijan has named political activist Samira Gasimli as an accused person in a criminal libel case she claims is politically motivated. Binagadi District Court in Baku made the ruling on Tuesday, following a complaint by Gurbanali Yusibov, the key witness in her husband's separate criminal trial. Mr Yusibov filed the private prosecution in April, alleging Mrs Gasimli defamed and insulted him on Facebook, and made statements threatening his safety.

Abkhazia's Ministry of Education has accused a pro-government political party of interfering in state schooling after it hosted the launch of a new language textbook. The ministry strongly criticised the United Abkhazia party for holding a presentation for a fourth-grade Abkhaz language textbook at its political headquarters. Education officials warned that only the ministry has the legal authority to recommend teaching materials, adding that the book's authors must follow es

An Azerbaijani war veteran serving a prison sentence has accused the authorities of illegal detention, torture, and denying him essential medical treatment that has left him nearly blind. Haji Valiyev, the former head of the now-disbanded Young Gazis Public Union, made the appeal from prison, where he has been held for 16 months. Valiyev, who was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on 6 May 2026, said his health has deteriorated severely and he has been denied acc

Iqbal Abilov An imprisoned Azerbaijani scholar and ethnic minority activist has been tortured in a Baku detention facility after protesting during a court hearing, his defence committee and family say. Iqbal Abilov, the editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy News journal who is serving an 18-year sentence, was allegedly tied to an iron bed and beaten in solitary confinement. The 37-year-old’s supporters say he was punished for wearing a T-shirt featuring verses by nat

Famil Baghirov An Azerbaijani man has been detained by police in Baku after complaining to an independent media outlet about an unresolved road accident involving a border guard. Famil Baghirov was taken from his home in the capital's Yasamal district on 14 July, one day after his video interview was published by the Berlin-based independent broadcaster Meydan TV. His family said four plainclothes officers took Mr Baghirov to an undisclosed location, leaving them without news

Ali Karimli The family and lawyers of jailed Azerbaijani opposition leader Ali Karimli say his prison conditions have been further restricted, with his daily exercise cut and family phone calls banned. According to reports from the opposition-linked Azadliq newspaper on Monday, Karimli was again denied his weekly phone call to his family last week. His daily outdoor exercise has been halved to one hour, and prison guards have blocked his lawyers from handing over written upda

An independent art gallery in the Georgian city of Gori is fighting a legal battle in the country's Supreme Court to prevent local authorities from evicting them. The dispute began after the Gori Art House hosted an exhibition critical of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which organisers say triggered a campaign of intimidation by local officials. Local municipal authorities have demanded the group vacate the former Soviet-era building, claiming they plan to convert the site

Iqbal Abilov Supporters of jailed Azerbaijani researcher Iqbal Abilov have accused prison authorities of torturing him after he appeared in court wearing a T-shirt featuring political poetry. The 37-year-old academic, who serves as editor-in-chief of the Talysh National Academy’s journal, was reportedly beaten and bound to a metal bed in Baku’s Detention Facility No 1. Abilov’s defence committee said the punishment followed his appearance at a court hearing on 7 July wearing

A Russian prison inmate has been fined after telling military recruiters that fighting in Ukraine is "haram", or forbidden under Islamic law. Alibek Suyunchev was ordered to pay 30,000 roubles ($390) by the Chegem District Court in the southern republic of Kabarda-Balkaria. The court found him guilty of "discrediting" the country's armed forces. The incident occurred during a meeting inside the prison where officials from the Russian defence ministry were campaigning for inma

Three jailed Azerbaijani activists have condemned President Ilham Aliyev's "one-man system" during their final courtroom speeches in Baku, as a controversial media trial nears its conclusion. The defendants, associated with the independent online channel Toplum TV, are among nine people facing up to 16 years in prison on charges including smuggling and tax evasion. They deny all charges, calling them politically motivated. Akif Qurbanov, speaker of the opposition Third Republ