23:03, 25 October 2004

No investigation into bombing of Chechen village

On April 8, 2004, the Russian air force bombarded the mountain village of Rigakhoi, Chechnya's Vedeno district. A young woman and her 5 children, the oldest of whom was 7, were killed by an air strike. At that time the republican leadership and command of federal forces in Chechnya promised to investigate the happening and punish people guilty of killing the Damayev family. But no one takes real steps to do it today, a relative of the victims said to the Caucasian Knot correspondent.

According to the relative, the military prosecutor's office does not want to continue investigating this case in fact. "Six months have already passed since that tragic even, but the case hasn't moved from the dead point. Military prosecutors say pilots who bombed Rigakhoi that day have been identified, but there's no ground for instituting proceedings against them since they allegedly "acted in combat conditions". And they seem not to have established who gave the order to bomb the village. I think the military simply want the people guilty of Maidat and her children's death to avoid responsibility," he said.

Author: Sultan Abubakarov, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot