Police Detain Oppositionists in Moscow

The Moscow police detained at least seven members of opposition movement “Another Russia” and conducted searches of the homes of the group's members, as well as of the organization’s office. Although the detainees are reportedly being questioned in relation to the nationalist protests on December 11, 2010, the oppositionists themselves believe the arrests are to prevent the demonstration planned for January 31, 2011 in support of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution (freedom of assembly).

http://lenta.ru/news/2011/01/31/vdnh/

Referendum To Extend Nazarbaev's Rule Found Unconstitutional in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council has rejected a planned referendum that would extend President Nursultan Nazarbaev's rule until 2020. Instead, normal presidential eletions should be held, in which Nazarbaev may participate. The Kazakh parliament earlier this month voted to hold a referendum on whether Nazabaev's rule should be extended for another decade without elections. However, Nazarbaev himself sent the measure for review to the Constitutional Council.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakh_constitutional_council_rejects_referendum_to_extend_nazarbaev_rule/2292361.html

Medvedev: Foreign Investors May Be Jailed Like Khodorkovsky

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In his speech there, Medvedev described in detail the new opportunities the modernization of the Russian economy provides to foreign investors. In an interview with Bloomberg, Medvedev warned investors that they must be law-abiding. "Investors, Russian or foreign, should observe the law, otherwise they can get a jail term as happened with Khodorkovsky and Madoff," Medvedev stated.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1574114
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-26/medvedev-tells-investors-to-follow-law-or-meet-khodorkovsky-fate.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddS7FrHXusM (video)

Terrorist Attack at Moscow Airport

A bomb attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport killed at least 35 people and injured more than 100. Investigators say the explosion, which happened in the arrivals hall, was caused by a suicide bomber. President Dmitry Medvedev vowed that those behind the attack would be tracked down and punished.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12268662

Russian Court Reinstates Communist as Party Member

A court in Russia ordered the Communists to reinstate a State Duma deputy they had previously purged from their ranks. Vladislav Yurchik, a critic of Communist leaders, was expelled by the Krasnoyarsk party branch for alleged violations of party rules and “anti-party activity.” Local party officials said they would not reinstate Yurchik because the court has no authority to intervene in internal party affairs.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1570313
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/mobile/article/429388.html

European Parliament Recommends Sanctions against Belarus Officials

The European Parliament adopted a resolution recommending that EU member countries introduce sanctions against Belarus officials responsible for the persecution of oppositionists during the recent presidential elections in Belarus. The Parliament proposes to prohibit issuing visas to such officials. The resolution is not binding on member countries; the binding decision may be made later this month by the Foreign Ministers of the EU countries.

http://lenta.ru/news/2011/01/20/euro/

Russian Citizen Convicted of High Treason in Uzbekistan

A court in Uzbekistan convicted Russian citizen Yuri Korepanov of “high treason” and sentenced him to 16 years of imprisonment. The details of the charges are unknown because the hearings were closed to the public. Korepanov, 63, who was born in Russia, lived for 40 years in Uzbekistan, but in 2003, he obtained Russian citizenship and left for Russia. He often visited relatives in Uzbekistan and was arrested during one of his visits. Apparently, Uzbek authorities consider Korepanov an Uzbek citizen because he did not complete the formalities necessary to relinquish citizenship (only a citizen may be charged of “high treason”). Neither central Uzbek authorities nor the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the case.

http://lenta.ru/articles/2011/01/20/jail/

“Russian WikiLeaks” Publishes “Putin’s Palace” Photos

The Russian “Pirate Party” launched website RuLeaks.net, which is intended to become a Russian analogue of WikiLeaks, and invited users to send in documents related to corruption, concealment of crime, etc. The site has already published a series of photos of a palace on the Black Sea coast allegedly belonging to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and costing an estimated $1 bln. Currently, the site is experiencing technical problems because of a massive DDoS attack. In December, a Russian businessman, Sergey Kolesnikov in an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev stated that the palace, in the construction of which Kolesnikov participated, was predominantly paid for with money donated by Russian businessmen for Putin’s use. A Putin spokesman dismissed the report saying the building had nothing to do with Putin.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110119/162205412.html
http://ruleaks.net/

Proposal to Reduce Arbitrazh Courts' Docket

Russia's Supreme Arbitrazh (Economic) Court has prepared draft procedural amendments to reduce the caseload of the arbitrazh court system. The proposals include applying simplified procedures for disputes involving 300,000 rubles or less (~$10,000) in routine cases such as claims for rent arrears and, if the parties consent, in loan default cases. Under the simplified procedures, cases will be decided based on written submissions only, consisting of no more than four documents filed by each party.

Under the proposals, the Moscow Arbitrazh Court's caseload would be reduced by transferring cases against federal agencies to the region where the plaintiff resides and by prohibiting parties from conferring jurisdiction on the Moscow court by agreement.

http://www.clj.ru/news/59187.html