ECtHR finds Russia guilty of seven disappearances in Chechnya

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg has found Russia guilty of disappearance and death of seven residents of Chechnya and ruled that Russian authorities should pay 470,000 euros of compensation. This is stated in the press release of the Court.

Khazan Bataev, Zaur Ibragimov, Magomed Temurkaev, Rizvan Ismailov and Said-Ali and Kharon Musaev were detained in Bataev's house in Grozny in September 2000. They were taken away by armed people in masks, regarded by relatives of the missing persons as Russian servicemen. Russian authorities, in their turn, deny any participation of the latter in these disappearances.

Usman Mavlyuev was detained in January 2000 at the check point, when he returned from Grozny to his family living in the countryside. He was taken away to some unknown place, and nothing has been known about him since. Russian authorities assert that he was kidnapped by unidentified persons.

The ECtHR has concluded, having studied the evidences of witnesses and other materials, that the above seven residents of Chechnya should be recognized as perished after non-recognized detention by military servicemen, and that the state shall respond for their deaths.

Now on the cases connected with these disappearances of residents of Chechnya Russia authorities shall pay 43,000 euros of material compensation, 420,000 euros of compensation for moral damage caused, and 7600 euros of legal expenses.

One more case deals with disappearance in Ingushetia of Said Magamed Tovsultanov, who was taken away by armed persons in masks from the house of his friends in Sleptsovskaya village in June 2004. The inquiry into the circumstances of his disappearance is in deadlock.

The victim's mother believed that Russian militaries were involved in his kidnapping; however, the ECtHR found these assumptions insufficiently justified and condemned Russia only for inefficient investigation of the case, the "Gazeta.Ru" reports.

On this case the fine makes 30,000 euros of moral compensation; plus 5500 euros of judicial costs, the Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information (known as "RAPSI") reports.