Murat Adam, a lawyer with the Almaty City Bar Association who defended Chechen refugee Mansur Movlaev, has been disbarred. He considers the decision politically motivated and intends to appeal it.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan emphasized that the country does not plan to take action against Iran, calling it a friendly partner.
The Anti-Corruption Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling and ordered the return of Russian businessman and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan from house arrest to a pretrial detention facility.
Two participants in the riots at Makhachkala Airport have received harsher sentences. The Georgievsky City Court in Stavropol Krai also found Anvarbek Atayev and Rabadan Radzhabov guilty of failing to comply with transport safety requirements.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced it had received a formal complaint from the Georgian Dream party and stated that it would handle it in accordance with its internal rules. The complaint concerns a story published on December 1 that discussed the Georgian authorities' possible role in using a chemical agent from World War I to disperse anti-government protests.
Georgian citizen Irakli Rurua was convicted in absentia by a Russian court for participating in combat operations on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported by the Investigative Committee.
Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has been noticeably less active on air recently. His evening show on the Rossiya-1 channel is temporarily absent, and his morning broadcasts on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio are now hosted by others. The reasons for this disappearance are being actively discussed online.
On the evening of January 14, the Anna Politkovskaya-Armand Soldin Prize ceremony took place in Lille. The awards ceremony took place at the ESJ Lille School of Journalism, the oldest journalism school in France.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to the Iranian Ambassador's concerns about Yerevan's possible anti-Iranian bias. He stated that the Armenian government will take all necessary steps to address any concerns Tehran may have. Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia will consistently work to maintain friendly relations with Iran and allay any concerns.
Over the past three days, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has denied reports of health problems three times. He called the circulated information "fake news" and stated that he does not require hospitalization or medical attention.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan justified the payment of large New Year bonuses to officials by citing the need to improve government efficiency and the attractiveness of public service. He stated that this is part of the government's anti-corruption strategy.