 Freedom house demands Russia to drop charges against Beslan mothers September 3, 2016 - 16:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Freedom House issued a statement calling on the international community to demand that Russia drops charges against Beslan mothers. The statement was made public in response to the detention of members of the NGO Voice of Beslan on the 12th anniversary of the school hostage crisis in Beslan, North Ossetia. “The victims of the Beslan tragedy should be allowed to commemorate the loss of their loved ones 12 years ago during the botched rescue operation ordered by the Russian government, carried out with total disregard for the safety of the hostages and resulted in hundreds of deaths”, said Daniel Calingaert, executive vice president. "The victims and their families are yet to find justice, and now are being prosecuted for resisting government efforts to erase memory of the events. Freedom House calls on the international community to demand that the Russian government drops charges against Ella Kesayeva, Emma Betrozova, Zhanna Tsirikhova, Svetlana Margieva, Emilia Bzarova.”   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
