Three more complaints from Chechnya satisfied by European Court

On November 6, the European Court for Human Rights passed decisions on three more cases from Chechnya, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports with reference to the "Legal Initiative for Russia".

The cases have to do with disappearances of five men in the period from November 2002 to April 2003 in various regions of the Chechen Republic.

The case "Khadzhalievs versus Russia" concerns disappearance of Ramzan and Rizvan Khadzhaliev. The brothers were detained by Russian militaries in their own house in Samashki village on December 15, 2002. Four days later their decapitated and mutilated bodies were found near the city of Sernovodsk, some 10 kilometres off Samashki.

The case "Magomadova and Iskhanova versus Russia" concerns disappearance of Viskhadzhi Magomadov and Khaskhan Mezhiev from Mesker-Yurt village, Chechnya. The men disappeared after they were detained on November 14, 2002,in Viskhadzhi's house by Russian militaries and taken away in armoured troop-carriers.

The case "Tsurova et al versus Russia" concerns disappearances of Ibragim Tsurov, a lawyer from Chechnya. Earlier, the investigation bodies had established that Ibragim Tsurov was detained on April 26, 2003, by employees of the Malgobek Interior Division. No information about him ever since.

The Court has established in its today's decisions that in these cases the right to life of the missing people, who should be regarded as deceased, was breached (breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms).

Besides, the Russian authorities had failed to hold effective investigation into these disappearances (breach of Article 2). The missing people were detained illegally (breach of Article 5). The attitude of state bodies to applicants' complaints was found inhuman treatment (breach of Article 3). The Court has also established that the applicants were deprived of effective means of legal remedy (breach of Article 13).

According to the decision of the Court on these three cases, the applicants shall receive material and moral compensation in the sum of 195,500 euros.

Legal support to the applicants in filing the complaints was rendered by the organization "Legal Initiative for Russia".