08:40, 20 December 2018

Residents of Vremenny appeal against inaction of district administration officials

Aftermath of special operation in the Dagestani settlement of Vremenny, December 2018. Photo: press service of HRC 'Memorial'

Residents of the dwelling settlement of Vremenny in Dagestan are unable, for four years, to receive the due compensation for their houses destroyed during a special operation, since the bureaucrats from the Untsukul District Administration fail to compile the primary documentation for compensational payments. In the lawsuit, lodged on behalf of five local residents, a lawyer of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" demands to oblige local officials to draw up the required documents.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since September 2014, residents of Vremenny have been seeking compensation from the authorities for their houses destroyed during the special operation. In July 2018, the court, which considered the lawsuit lodged by lawyers of the HRC "Memorial" on behalf of 128 residents of the settlement, refused to recognize the authorities' inaction.

On September 18, 2014, residents of Vremenny reported the blocking of their settlement by law enforcers, house-by-house raids, and, later, the shortage of foodstuffs and destruction of their yard structures by law enforcers. On October 8, 2014, almost all the residents left the blocked settlement. In December 2014, a special commission found 52 houses unfit for residence.

Now, lawyers of the HRC "Memorial" have lodged a lawsuit on behalf of five residents of Vremenny to the Untsukul District Court of Dagestan, demanding that the inaction of the officials of the local administration be declared illegal. Administration officials were obliged to draw up the necessary documents for the residents of Vremenny to receive the due compensation for the destroyed houses within the first months after the special operation, the HRC "Memorial" has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 19, 2018 at 09:32 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.