Strasbourg condemns Russia again for murdering and torturing residents of Chechnya

The European Court for Human Rights has found Russia guilty of murders and tortures of Chechen residents. Today in Strasbourg, the RF (Russian Federation) authorities lost the case "Bitieva and Kh. versus Russia." The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it at the Human Rights Centre "Memorial," whose lawyers represented the applicants' interests at the European Court.

According to the Court's decision, Russia breached the right to life (Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)) of the applicant Zura Bitieva and her relatives Ramzan Iduev, Idris Iduev and Abubakar Bitiev, and of inefficient investigation of the above persons' assassination (Article 13). The state was also found guilty of torturing Zura Bitieva (Article 3) and violation of her right to freedom and personal security (Article 5 of the ECHR).

The European Judges have also determined, by five votes versus two, that Russia was innocent of tortures or inhuman treatment (Article 3 of the Convention) in relation to applicant Kh., whose name is not disclosed for the reasons of his safety, as Alyona Malakhova, press secretary of the HRC "Memorial," explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Zura Bitieva was known in Chechnya as an active participant of anti-war meetings and actions during both the first and the second Chechen wars. She and her son Idris Iduev were detained in their own home in Kalinovskaya village, Naurskiy District, Chechen Republic, on January 25, 2000.

Ms Bitieva was delivered to the investigatory isolation facility in Chernokozovo village "for personal identification" and spent 24 days there. From three to ten persons were kept in a tiny cell, they were beaten and humiliated. The cell was not heated, although the ambient air temperature was about zero Centigrade, water and meals were given once a day. Despite her heart disease, Zura Bitieva was refused any medical care. She was taken to the district hospital only after she lost her consciousness. After being released, Zura was sick for a long time.

In mid-March 2000, Zura Bitieva was visited at the hospital by the Public Prosecutor of the Naurskiy District, who informed her that all the charges against her had been dismissed.

From 2001 on, Ms Bitieva started again to participate in protest meetings against violations of human rights in Chechnya. In early February 2003 she was in the group of women who demanded to open the burial place detected near Kapustino village of the Naurskiy District of the Republic.

Zura Bitieva applied to the Strasbourg Court with a complaint on violation of her rights guaranteed by Article 3 (prohibition of tortures) and Article 5 (right to freedom and personal security) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

On May 21, 2003, about 4 a.m. Zura Bitieva, her husband Ramzan Iduev, their son Idris Iduev and her brother Abubakar Bitiev were shot dead in their own house in Kalinovskaya village by unidentified persons in camouflage and masks who had arrived in cars without registration number plates.

The Human Rights Centre "Memorial" emphasized, when informing about these murders, "Local residents believe that the assassination of the Iduev family was of defiantly penal character."

On October 20, 2005, the European Court unanimously recognized Zura Bitieva's complaint to be eligible. The applicants are represented by lawyers of the "Memorial" and European Centre for Protection of Human Rights (London).

The "Caucasian Knot" has informed earlier that after the murder of Zura Bitieva her complaint was taken over by her daughter Louise Idueva-Bisieva who also complained of violation of Article 2 (right to life), Article 3 and Article 13 (right to efficient judicial defence means) of the European Convention in relation to her mother's murder.