09:00, 1 June 2019

Court finds MIA's inaction in case of residents of Dagestan settlement

Consequences of the special operation in the dwelling settlement of Vremenny. December 2018. Photo by the press service of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial"

The judgement of the court in Makhachkala will allow residents of the dwelling settlement of Vremenny, who had lost their homes during a special operation, to seek compensation for authorities' inaction, said Marina Agaltsova, a lawyer of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

Since September 2014, residents of Vremenny in Dagestan have been seeking compensation from the authorities for their destroyed housing. On March 12, 2019, the court recognized the officials' inaction.

On September 18, 2014, residents of Vremenny reported that the settlement was blocked by law enforcers. By October 8, almost all residents left the place; in December 2014, a special commission announced that 52 houses in Vremenny are unfit for living.

The delay in the approval of the list of victims was caused by gross violations in drafting documents, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan had reported.

In the Vremenny, law enforcers destroyed some houses and outbuildings under the motive that they were looking for hideouts and bunkers with militants, the HRC "Memorial" has noted.

The updated list of victims includes 613 persons, or 129 families.

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported that on January 18, 2017, lawyers of the HRC "Memorial" and the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning the special operation in Vremenny in 2014.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 31, 2019 at 10:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Gor Alexanyan

Source: CK correspondent