ECHR Cases from the North Caucasus

At about midnight on the night between 25 and 26 April 2005 a group of servicemen burst into the home of the Zhebrailov family in the village of Gekhi. They violently apprehended Balavdi Zhebrailov and his brother Salavdi, put them in an UAZ vehicle and drove off. The servicemen continued to beat up the brothers inside the car. The car eventually stopped and they were taken to separate cells in a basement where the beating continued. Later on that night, the brothers were transported to the premises of the 2nd regiment of the road police of the Ministry of the Interior of the Chechen Republic. At some point the car stopped and Salavdi was thrown outside. He returned home in the morning. Balavdi is missing since.

The applicant complained that he had been ill-treated by the police and that there had been no effective investigation into the matter.

On 23 March 2002 Arbi and Ilman Yusupovy were driving over Gudermes city, Chechnya, when their car was stopped by the Russian servicemen.  The brothers were forced to take a seat in an APC, their heads were put by  the sacks on  and they were taken to the checkpoint and then transferred to an unknown place. The brothers were detained in a basement and questioned about members of illegal armed groups. Ilman Yusupov was released in 5 days, but Arbi Yusupov disappeared. The investigation on this fact has no result.

On 10 July 2009 Ms Albakova’s son was allegedly taken from the family home by a group of armed men, speaking Russian, Chechen and Ingush following a passport check of all the family members present. Eleven days later Ms Albakova discovered on the internet that her son had been shot dead by Russian servicemen during a counter-terrorist operation in a forest close to Arshty, a village in the Ingushetiya Republic. Her son’s body was subsequently returned to her with multiple injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds, fractured bones, burns, bruises and a partially severed arm. An initial inquiry was conducted and then, in August 2009, an official criminal investigation was officially opened, which eventually concluded in May 2012 that Batyr Albakov, a member of an illegal armed group, had died in an exchange of gunfire with a Russian military unit

In September 2002 Urus-Martan was under curfew and surrounded by Russian military checkpoints. A number of law-enforcement and administrative authorities, including a military commander’s office, were situated in the town. On 5 September 2002 between 2 and 3 a.m. an APC and two URAL lorries arrived at the applicants’ block of flats. A group of up to forty servicemen in masks and camouflage uniforms got out of the vehicles. Up to fifteen of them stormed into the applicants’ flat. They spoke unaccented Russian. After locking Mr Mayrbek’s father in the kitchen and threatening his brother with a machinegun, the servicemen checked the identity documents of the other family members. Then searched Mayrbek, asked for his passport and told the relatives that they were taking him to the military commander’s office. Through the windows the applicants saw the servicemen beating Mayrbek while dragging him, with a plastic bag over his head, to Lenina Street, where they forced him in one of the vehicles and drove away. On the same morning the 1st applicant went to the Urus-Martan district prosecutor’s office and the district department of the interior (the ROVD) to report the abduction. Mayrbek’s parents contacted the local and the district administration. The applicants have not seen Mr Mayrbek Minayev since his abduction on 5 September 2002.

On 5 November 2002 between 5 and 6 a.m. a group of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms broke into the applicants’ house in Achkhoy-Martan. Those who were unmasked were of Slavic appearance. They spoke Russian. The servicemen locked the 1st applicant, her husband and kids in a room. Then, after searching the house, they dragged Mr Ibragim Dzhabrailov outside in his underwear, put him in an APC and drove away. The APC was accompanied by a UAZ “tabletka” minivan and a URAL lorry. Later in the morning the applicants informed about the abduction the Achkhoy-Martan district military commander’s office, the local administration and the police. The military commander’s office acknowledged that they had detained Ibragim and promised to release him later on the same day. However, the applicants’ relative was not released. At some point later the applicants were told that Ibragim had been taken away by servicemen from Grozny. The applicants have not seen Mr Ibragim Dzhabrailov since his abduction on 5 November 2002.

On 24 September 2001 armed servicemen of the federal forces carried out a special operation in Alkhazurovo. At around 4 a.m. a group of servicemen broke into the Shavanovs’ family house, beat family members, including the applicant, and took away Mr Mayrbek Shavanov and Mr Aslambek Shavanov. The intruders used a UAZ car and a URAL lorry belonging to the local police station and two KAMAZ lorries. At some point Mr G.A. Gadzhiyev, an officer of the Urus-Martan district military commander’s office unofficially acknowledged that the missing brothers were being held at the district FSB office situated on the 3rd floor of the military commander’s office. The applicant has not seen Mayrbek and Aslambek Shavanov since their abduction on 24 September 2001.

On 30 October 2001 the town of Goyty was under curfew. At around 4 a.m. a group of ten masked and armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and bullet-proof vests broke into the applicants’ house. The servicemen, who spoke unaccented Russian, had arrived in two APCs, a URAL and two UAZ cars. They handcuffed Mr Khasan Khadzhiyev, checked his documents, took him into one of UAZ cars and drove away in the direction of Urus-Martan. On the same night at around 4 a.m. the servicemen broke into a neighbouring house. They checked the documents of Mr Khusseyn Magomadov, but did not take him away. In about seven days after the abduction the 1st applicant was informed that her brother was detained at the Urus-Martan district military commander’s office and that he would be released after a check. The applicants have not seen Mr Khasan Khadzhiyev since his abduction on 30 October 2001.

The applicant was arrested on 1 June 2013 on suspicion of organised aggravated murder and attempted murder of State officials. On the following day the Basmanniy District Court of Moscow ordered the applicant’s detention pending trial, citing the gravity of the charges against him and the risk that he might abscond, interfere with the investigation, in particular influence witnesses, and reoffend. The District Court dismissed the applicant’s arguments pertaining to his poor state of health. The applicant complained that he was unable to obtain effective medical care while in detention, which had led to a serious deterioration in his condition, put him in a life-threatening situation and subjected him to severe physical and mental suffering, in violation of the guarantees of Article 3 of the Convention.

Ms Milana Ozdoyeva (1982) was abducted on 19 January 2004 in Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya. On 29 January 2004 the Achkhoy-Martan district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 38004. The investigation is still pending.

Mr Ruslan Yandiyev (1982) was abducted on 29 September 2005 in Nazran, Ingushetia. On 9 October 2005 the Nazran town prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 05560115. The investigation is still pending.

On 12 October 2001 at around 7.30 a.m. a group of masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms, armed with machineguns, stormed into the applicants’ house in Argun. They woke up Mr Timerlan Cholayev, handcuffed him and took him outside. There they put him in one of their two APCs without registration numbers and departed to an unknown destination. On the same day an officer of the Argun district military commander’s office acknowledged that Timerlan had been arrested by their forces and then taken to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala. The applicants have not seen Mr Timerlan Cholayev since his abduction on 12 October 2001.

Around 2 a.m. on 4 May 2003 several armed servicemen broke into the family home of Anzor Idigov. The soldiers grabbed Anzor from his bed, who was undressed and barefoot, covered his mouth with adhesive tape, took him outside. He was driven off in an unknown direction. His family has not seen him since. The official investigation into his disappearance failed to produce any tangible results.

From December 1999 onwards the village of Shalazhi was under the effective control of the Russian military forces. At around 8 p.m. on 3 November 2002 Rustam Amerkhanov left to visit his friend A., who was living nearby. Rustam's mother, Dzayanu Amerkhanova waited for her son to return home all that night, but by the the morning of 4 November 2002  he had not come home. Immediately after his disappearance, she began searching for her son and visited the commander of the district unit of the special forces of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation (OMON). The commander confirmed that his unit had arrested Rustam and that he had transferred him to the second OMON unit. The head of the second OMON unit claimed that Rustam had been released in the morning of 4 November 2002. Mrs. Dzayanu Amerkhanova never saw her son again. The investigation into the disappearance of Rustam Amerkhanov has been pending since 2002.

In the morning on 4 August 2000, Alikhan Sultygov, Visadi Samrailov and Mr. U were stopped by Russian federal forces at roadblock no. 7 in Grozny. The three men were subsequently blindfolded and transported to the federal military base of Khankala.  In Khankala, they were forced to stay in an open pit with stones and broken glass on the ground. The servicemen threw stones at them and did not give them any food. On 5 August, the servicemen led Alikhan Sultygov away. Two days later, they took Visadi Samrailov away while releasing Mr. U. Visadi and Alikhan have been missing since. The investigation later established that the men had been detained at Khankala but yet failed to produce any results.

On 20 November 2002 Sharpudy Dubayev and four other men were driving in a car VAZ-2106 when they had been stopped by a group of servicemen of 34th brigada of the military forces near the village of Berkar-Yurt, Chechnya. The servicemen asked for passports of all car passengers, dragged out  them from the vehicle, forced them in a APC and took to the area of an unknown military base. Sharpudy were detained with Ruslan Agayev in the same cell. According to the latter, both of them were tortured by servicemen during questionings. On 23 November 2002 all of the arrested men except  Sharpudy  were driven to an unidentified place and then released. Sharpudy Dubayev got lost since that. The investigation on his disappearance has not given any results.

On 3 February 2000 federal forces conducted a sweep operation in the village of Valerik. That morning a large number of servicemen arrived in three APCs
at the residence of the Isayev family. They searched the house and checked identity documents. When Nurdi Isayev ran outside, the servicemen opened fire at him. Nurdi's mother,  Zeina Isayeva, saw Nurdi fall to the ground and fainted from shock. When she regained consciousness, Nurdi was nowhere to be found. His relatives began searching for him and were told that he had been detained by the Western Zone Alignment in Chechnya, headed by General Shamanov. Nurdi has been missing since. An investigation was opened into the disappearance but has not produced meaningful results.

On 4 September 2000 Russian servicemen launched a sweeping-up operation in the settlement of Tsotsi-Yurt (also referred to as Oktyabrskoe). The settlement was surrounded by servicemen riding URAL lorries and UAZ cars. Helicopters were flying over the area. The applicants resided in a family house together with Ezir-Ali, Abzu and Said-Magomed. A certain Nikhit (also referred to as Mr Ochayev) was staying at their place. At around 5 a.m. an APC and several UAZ cars and URAL lorries arrived at the applicants’ house. A group of twenty-five to thirty masked and camouflaged servicemen broke inside. They blindfolded Ezir-Ali, Abzu, Said-Magomed and Nikhit with torn sheets and took them outside. The servicemen put Ezir-Ali in his own VAZ-2106 car and the other three men in a URAL lorry and drove away. It appears that at least four other men were arrested in Tsotsi-Yurt that morning, including Khizir Agamerzayev (also referred to as Agmurzayev). A URAL lorry had driven him to the centre of the settlement. Several days later the applicants learnt from anonymous sources that Ezir-Ali, Abzu, Said-Magomed, Nikhit and Khizir had been taken to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala. On 13 September 2000 Nikhit and Khizir and three other Tsotsi-Yurt residents were released at a crossroad on the Rostov-Baku road in the vicinity of Mesker-Yurt, where they had been brought in an APC. According to Khizir, after the arrest he, Ezir-Ali, Abzu, Said-Magomed and Nikhit were put in separate cells in a basement. Khizir was beaten up and questioned about a certain Yakub from Tsotsi-Yurt, the Barayevs and the Akhmadovs, allegedly members of illegal armed groups. On 12 September 2000 in the morning Khizir had seen that servicemen had taken Ezir-Ali, Abzu and Said-Magomed outside and put them in military vehicles. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 4 September 2000.

On 3 May 2004 Mr Magomed-Salakh Tekhiyev was staying at Mr Umar Mukhadiyev’s house in Serzhen-Yurt. On 4 May 2004 at 6 a.m. a large group of armed and masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms stormed into the house. Pointing their guns at the two men, the intruders asked them for their passports. Since Magomed-Salakh had no passport on him, the servicemen tied his hands behind the back, put him in their APC with obscured registration numbers and drove away in direction of Avtury. On the same day the servicemen took away Umar Mukhadiyev’s neighbour, Mr Abdulvakhab Chevchiyev. As soon as the applicant learnt about Magomed-Salakh’s abduction, she went to the Shali district military commander’s office. Mr Dubovik, the military commander, acknowledged the abduction. He told the applicant that Magomed-Salakh and Abdulvakhab were detained in Avtury and would be released in three days; however, in three days he denied the detention in Avtury. He said that the men had been taken to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala and would be released in fifteen days. Fifteen days later Mr Dubovik informed the applicant that the two abductees had absconded during the transportation. The applicant has not seen Mr Magomed-Salakh Tekhiyev since his abduction on 4 May 2004.

At the material time Mr Apti Medzhidov, Mr Akhmed Dudurkayev, Mr Visarkhan Dokuyev and Mr Alu Bultayev were policemen of the Road Patrol Service (Патрульно-постовая служба) at the Chechnya Ministry of the Interior (the MVD). They resided with their families in Tolstoy-Yurt, the Grozny district. In July 2000 the four men were in Grozny. The town was under curfew and only Russian military vehicles could freely move around. Apti, Akhmed and Visarkhan were staying at Markha Tatsuyeva’s flat and Alu was staying in another flat in the neighbourhood. Early in the morning on 16 July 2000 three or four APCs and several UAZ “tabletka” vehicles arrived at the building where Alu was staying. A group of fifteen servicemen in camouflage uniforms and helmets stormed into his flat, blindfolded and handcuffed him and put him in one of their APCs. The servicemen also arrested Ms Satsyta Sadykova, his neighbour, and put her into the same APC. After that the servicemen broke into Markha Tatsuyeva’s flat to arrest her, Apti, Akhmed, and Visarkhan. The servicemen put the four of them in the same APC with Alu and Satsyta. Then the APC drove to Khankala. Satsyta heard the sounds of helicopters and military vehicles throughout the one-hour journey.  In Khankala the six arrestees were placed in a detention centre. According to the applicants, the four men had been detained there until August 2001 without any official record of their detention there. Only Satsyta and Markha were officially registered as detainees. All of the detainees were kept in pits. Satsyta shared her pit with Alu. Once they managed to see Apti, Akhmed, Visarkhan and Markha. On 16 July 2000 Satsyta was transferred to another detention centre in Khankala and two days later to a temporary detention centre (SIZO) in Rostov-on-Don. On 21 July 2000 by a decision of Investigation unit of the FSB department in Rostov-on-Don Satsyta was released from detention. According to the decision, she had been arrested on suspicion of terrorist activities, in particular, blowing up a block of flats in Volgodonsk, the Rostov Region, on 16 September 1999. Markha was released on 21 July 2000. Some time later the applicants learnt from anonymous witnesses that as of August 2001 their relatives had been kept in the following detention facilities: SIZO no. 2 in Rostov-on-Don, a SIZO in Volgograd, SIZO no. 181 in Krasnodar and a SIZO in Chernokozovo. The applicants have not seen their four relatives since their abduction on 16 July 2000.

The applicant live in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.He was a clean-up worker at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. As a result he suffered from extensive exposure to radioactive emissions which later led to his disability. In late 2010 the Nalchik Town Court awarded the applicant compensation of non pecuniary damage in the above connection. The judgment have not been appealed against and became final and enforceable. However, Federal Treasury Fund on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Finance lodged an appeal against the final judgments requesting that the statutory ten-day time limit for lodging such an appeal against the judgments be restored. Finally, the ten-day time limit was restored and the decision regarding the compensation was quashed. The applicant complains under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that restoration of the time-limit for an appeal resulting in quashing of the final judgment in his favour violated the principle of legal certainty.

At the material time Katyr-Yurt was under curfew. At about 4 a.m. on 12 November 2002 a group of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and masks arrived at the applicants’ house in two APCs and a VAZ car. They broke into the house, quickly searched it, took Usman Salamov outside, forced him in one of the APCs and drove away. The applicants have not seen their son since his abduction on 12 November 2002.

In October 2005 Mr Apti Zaynalov was convicted of belonging to an illegal armed group. In July 2006 he was released from detention and after that date lived in Saratov, working in the construction industry. The applicant, his mother, often stayed with him in Saratov. On 26 June 2009 the applicant received a message from Apti Zaynalov on her mobile phone saying that he would be flying to Egypt the next day. She did not hear from him again and had assumed that he was in Egypt. The applicant complained that the right to life of her son had been violated, and that the authorities had failed to investigate this complaint.

At the material time the applicants and their brothers Daud and Khalid lived together in Chechen-Aul. Between 10 and 24 June 2002 the Russian military forces conducted a ‘sweeping-up’ operation in Chechen–Aul. The temporary headquarters of the operation was stationed at the outskirt of the village.On 16 June 2002 a group of about ten armed military servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house in two APCs. The servicemen, some of whom were masked, searched the house and demanded Daud in unaccented Russian to proceed with them for an identity check; Daud was put in one of the APCs which drove away towards the temporary military headquarters.  On 23 June 2002 at the corner of Sadovaya and Sovkhoznaya Streets the same group of military servicemen in APCs detained Khalid Nuraliyev and took him to the temporary headquarters. According to the applicants, at some point in 2005 they found out that after the abduction Khalid Nuraliyev had been detained in a prison in the Rostov region. In response to their requests to the authorities asking to confirm this information, the applicant received negative replies. The applicants have not seen their brothers since their abduction in June 2002.

At the material time the town of Urus-Martan was under curfew; it was surrounded by military checkpoints. A number of law-enforcement   agencies, including the military commander’s office, were operating in the settlement. At about 2.30 a.m. on 14 October 2002 a group of ten armed servicemen  in camouflage uniforms, with flashlights attached to their foreheads, broke into the applicants’ house and took away their son, Aslanbek Saltuyev. The intruders, who were equipped with portable radios, took   Aslanbek to the UAZ minivan which was waiting in the street and drove away. The applicants saw that the servicemen had also arrived in an APC, a URAL lorry and another UAZ vehicle. The applicants have not seen their son since his abduction on 14 October 2002.

At about 11 p.m. on 12 January 2006 a group of ten armed servicemen in bulletproof vests and special helmets (the uniform usually worn by special forces) arrived at the applicant’s house in three UAZ vehicles. One of the vehicles was armoured, the others were equipped with radio stations. The servicemen smashed windows and broke into the house. They grabbed Iles and dragged him outside; two of the intruders held the applicant’s son Khussein at gun point and ordered him not to move. The servicemen put Iles in one of the vehicles and drove away in the direction of the Oktyabrskiy district department of the interior in Grozny (the ROVD). The applicant’s son Khussein immediately went to the ROVD with his relatives; there they were told that Iles had been arrested by mistake and that he would be released soon. The applicant has not seen her husband Iles Khamstkhanov since his abduction on 12 January 2006.

At the material time the applicants and Mr Magomed Khamzatov lived in the Staropromyslovskiy district of Grozny. At about 5 a.m. on 5 December 2004 the first applicant saw from the window a group of about ten to twelve armed servicemen in military uniforms, masks, bulletproof vest and helmets running down the street and breaking into the neighbouring house, which belonged to the applicants’ relatives. Shortly after that the armed men went to the applicants’ house demanded that the first applicant opened the door. They said that they were the police conducting identity checks. The intruders, who spoke unaccented Russian, took Magomed outside along with his passport and some clothing. The first applicant followed the abductors and saw that they had arrived in the neighbourhood in a UAZ minivan parked on a neighbouring street. A number of the applicants’ neighbours saw the servicemen forcing Magomed Khamzatov in the vehicle and driving away. On the same night the same group of servicemen broke into the house of the applicants’ neighbours, the family of Ms A.T., quickly checked identity documents and searched the house. The applicants have not seen Magomed Khamzatov since his abduction on 5 December 2004.

At about 4 a.m. on 7 July 2003 a group of about ten servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house in several UAZ vehicles and a GAZEL minivan. The servicemen, who were armed and in camouflage uniforms and masks, checked identity documents of the family members and then dragged Kharun Vezirov to the backyard, where they subjected him to beatings demanding in unaccented Russian that he showed them firearms allegedly hidden in the house. Having searched the house, the servicemen forced Kharun and Askhab Vezirov in the GAZEL minivan and drove away in the direction of the town of Argun, Chechnya. The applicants have not seen Kharun and Askhab Vezirov since their abduction on 7 July 2003.

At the material time the applicants and Aslambek Isayev lived together in Grozny. The applicants’ neighbourhood was surrounded by military checkpoints. The area was under curfew. At about 3 a.m. on 16 April 2003 a group of about ten armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house in two UAZ vehicles. They broke into the house, asked the applicants in Russian whether any firearms were hidden on the premises and quickly searched it. After that they told the applicants that identity checks had been conducted in the area and that more than fifty persons had been already arrested as the result. Then they said that they would check Aslambek’s identity, put him in one of the UAZ cars and drove away. The applicants have not seen Mr Aslambek Isayev since his abduction on 16 April 2003.

At the material time the town of Gudermes was under curfew; it was surrounded by military checkpoints. A special military unit no. 291 of the 42nd regiment of the motorised infantry division of the Russian Ministry of Defence called ‘Battalion Vostok’ (батальон 291-го мотострелкового полка 42-ой гвардейской мотострелковой дивизии Министерства Обороны РФ) was stationed in the settlement. According to the applicants, the battalion was involved in special operations of the Russian federal forces. Dzhandar and Dzhalil Ismailov lived with their families, including the applicants, on the second floor of block of flats at no. 52 in Kavkazskaya Street in Gudermes. In the early hours of 21 January 2003 a group of about ten to fifteen servicemen in camouflage uniforms and masks arrived at the applicants’ address in a grey UAZ vehicle with smeared registration numbers. The only one serviceman without mask had dark hair and a clearly visible scar on the left cheek. The intruders, who were armed with machineguns, dispersed throughout the building on each floor. Then they broke into the applicants’ flat; quickly searched it and took away gold jewellery and 250,000 Russian rubles (RUB) (about EUR 6,500). They were in a rush and gave no explanations for their actions; after the search they took Dzhandar and Dzhalil outside without allowing them to put on warm clothing. They forced the brothers in the UAZ vehicle and drove away in the direction of Grozny. About two of three months after the abduction the second applicant was informed by Mr A.Kh., an officer from the Vostok battalion, that his sons were detained by the battalion’s commander Dzhabrail Yamadayev. The applicants have not seen their relatives since their abduction on 21 January 2003.

On the night between 11 and 12 February 2001 two cousins Said-Ibragim Sangariyev and Idris Sangariyev were staying at the house of their uncle Said-Khussein in Stariye Atagi. At 6 a.m. a group of about forty to fifty military servicemen arrived in three APCs at Said-Khussein’s house. Other military vehicles and URAL lorries cordoned off the neighbourhood; the servicemen ordered the neighbours to stay inside. The servicemen climbed over the fence and broke into the house. Threatening to blow up the dwelling, they took Said-Khussein outside and put him on the knees against the wall demanding that he told them where were his nephews Said-Ibragim and Idris. Then the servicemen searched the house looking for the two cousins; about an hour later they found them and dragged them outside. Then the servicemen reported the arrest to their superiors via portable radios using code numbers ‘22-23-43’. After that they took Said-Ibragim’s VAZ-2107 car with registration number C96 AP 20RUS, put both cousins there and drove them away in the direction of Grozny. According to the documents submitted, the applicants’ relatives were taken to Khankala, the headquarters of the Russian federal forces in Chechnya. In less than a month after the abduction, the fourth applicant saw that Said-Ibragim’s car was driven around by a group of military servicemen of Slavic appearance, whose uniform had small stars on the shoulder straps. The applicants have not seen their relatives since their abduction on 12 February 2001.

At the material time the village of Stariye Atagi was under curfew.   It was surrounded by military checkpoints situated in all roads leading   to and from the settlement. A military unit of the Russian federal forces   was stationed at the outskirts of the village, on the premises of the   former mill factory (‘the mill’). According to the applicants, the   mill was used as a filtering point by the military for the processing   and detention of local residents detained during special operations.  At about 5 a.m. on 26 February 2003 a group of about twenty armed   military servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’   house in two grey UAZ minivans and two VAZ-2121 (‘Niva’) cars. The   vehicles surrounded the house. Some of the servicemen were wearing masks;   some of them had helmets on. The servicemen broke into the applicants’   house and ordered everyone to show their identity documents. Then they   grabbed Saykhan, forced him outside and put him into one of the vehicles.   The applicants, accompanied by a neighbour, also got in a car and followed   the abductors to the premises of the military unit at the mill. There   they tried to gain access to the military compound, but to no avail.   On-duty servicemen denied having seen any cars leaving or entering the   premises. The applicants have not seen their son since his abduction on 26 February   2003.

According to the applicants, who live in the same street, on 20 July 2003 the Russian federal forces conducted a sweeping-up operation in Noviye Atagi, as the result of which at least three local residents were arrested, including the applicants’ relatives. Military checkpoints were situated in all of the roads leading to and from the settlement. The area was under curfew. At about 5 a.m. on 20 July 2003 a convoy of military vehicles, consisting of at least three APCs (with hull numbers 100, 101 and F-121), one URAL lorry (with registration number 75-99 6 RUS) and a UAZ all-terrain car, arrived at the applicants’ street. A group of about fifty heavily-armed military servicemen in camouflage uniforms got out of the vehicles and broke into at least four houses in the street, including those of the applicants. A group of about fifteen servicemen climbed over the fence and broke into the house of the Akhmadov family. They checked identity documents of the male residents, quickly searched the house without producing any warrant or giving explanations to their actions and took Idris Akhmadov outside. The servicemen also took some of the family valuables. They put Idris into the UAZ minivan, and then they dragged him out and forced him into the APC and drove away. At about 5.30 a.m. group of fifteen to twenty servicemen in a yellow UAL lorry with registration number 75 99 86 broke in the house of the Dashtayev family. Several APCs and a UAZ minivan were waiting in a neighbouring street. They found in the yard Imran Dashtayev; they demanded his passport. Imran’s passport was submitted for renewal, so the servicemen told his relatives that they would take him for an identity check. Then they forced Imran in the yellow lorry and drove away. The applicants have not seen their relatives since their abduction on 20 July 2003.

The applicants served as clean-up workers at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. As a result they suffered from extensive exposure to radioactive emissions which later led to their disability. In late 2010 they lodged a complaint with the Nalchik Town Court of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria$ and, by a judgment of 17 January 2011, the Town Court allowed the claims in part and awarded 1,100,000 Russian roubles. However, on 28 February 2013 the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria quashed the decision and restored the time-limit for appealing against the judgment of 17 January 2011.The Supreme Court further ordered them to return the money they had received pursuant to the judgment of 17 January 2011.

The applicant served as clean-up workers at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. As a result he suffered from extensive exposure to radioactive emissions which later led to his disability. In late 2010 he lodged a complaint with the Nalchik Town Court of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria and, by a judgment of 17 January 2011, the Town Court allowed the claims in part and awarded 1,100,000 Russian roubles. However, on 28 February 2013 the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria quashed the decision and restored the time-limit for appealing against the judgment of 17 January 2011.The Supreme Court further ordered him to return the money he had received pursuant to the judgment of 17 January 2011.

The facts of the present cases (nos. 21194/09, 21200/09, 24693/09, 24700/09, 27063/09, 27064/09, 27159/09, 27259/09, 30531/09, 30538/09, 30578/09, 32851/09, 32855/09, 32862/09, 32992/09, 18777/10, 22304/10) are connected to the case Musayev and Others v. Russia, nos. 57941/00, 58699/00 and 60403/00, 26 July 2007, in so far as the applicants claim that their relatives were killed by the same persons and in the same circumstances as the relatives of the applicants in the Musayev and Others case.
The applicants allege, principally, that their twenty-one close relatives (spouses, children, brothers and uncle) have been killed on 5 February 2000 in the Novye Aldy settlement at the outskirts of Grozny by the State servicemen.
A criminal investigation into the murders and looting of property was opened on 5 March 2000 by the Grozny Town Prosecutor’s Office. The applicants, or close members of their families, have been granted victim status in the proceedings. It appears that these proceedings are still pending. It appears that only one applicant (application no. 22304/10) had been in Novye Aldy at the time of the events; other applicants had been out of the district, or out of Chechnya, due to heavy fighting in the preceding months. In support of their claims, the applicants submitted copies of the death certificates issued in respect of their relatives, copies of some documents from the criminal investigation file, decisions to grant them or their close relatives the status of victims in the criminal proceedings, statements produced by them and by several persons who had witnessed the killings, press and NGO reports about the events. Several applicants also submitted documents issued in 2000 by the local administration or “neighbourhood committees” confirming that the houses where they had lived had been destroyed or damaged in 2000.

The applicants were clean-up workers at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. As a result they suffered from extensive exposure to radioactive emissions which later led to their disability. In early 2011 the applicants lodged a complaint with the Nalchik Town Court of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (“the Town Court”) against the Russian Ministry of Finance seeking compensation of non pecuniary damage in the above connection.On 12 April 2011 the Town Court allowed the applicants’ claims in part and awarded the applicants compensations. The judgment above has not been appealed against and became final and enforceable. On 17 August 2012 the Department of the Federal Treasury Fund in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kabardino Balkaria and requested that the statutory ten day time limit for lodging such an appeal against the judgments be restored. On 24 August 2012 the Town Court ordered that the time limit for appeal be extended on the grounds that there was no evidence that the FTF had received copy of the judgment in due course. The applicants complain, among others, under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that restoration of the time-limit for an appeal resulting in quashing of the final judgment in their favour violated the principle of legal certainty.

On 7 February 2008 the applicant's husband arrived at the penitentiary facility in the Amur Region in the Far-East of Russia, some 8,000 kilometres away from the Dubovskaya village in the Chechen Republic, where his family lives. According to the applicant, it became virtually impossible for her and her daughters to visit her husband in prison as they could not afford to travel so far. The applicant complains under Article 8 of the Convention that such a transfer to remote penitentiary facilities effectively amount to a breach of family ties between the detainees and their wives and children.

On 6 February 2007 it was established that penitentiary facilities of the Kurgan Region were populated up to the maximum capacity and it was decided that the applicant should be transferred to a strict regime penitentiary facility in the Udmurt Republic. However, penitentiary facility of in the Udmurt Republic is located 1,200 km away from Kurgan where applicant’s family lives. According to him, it became virtually impossible for his wife and two daughters to visit him in prison as they could not afford to travel to the Udmurt Republic. The applicant complains under Article 8 of the Convention that such transfers to remote penitentiary facilities effectively amount to a breach of family ties between the detainees and their wives and children.

Magomed Osmanovich Aushev and Magomed Maksharipovich Aushev complain under Article 3, 5 and 13 of the Convention that they were abducted, unlawfully detained and ill-treated by law-enforcements authorities and that the investigations into their allegations of ill-treatment and unlawful detention were ineffective.

On 17 January 2011 the Nalchik Town Court awarded the applicants compensation of non pecuniary damage in the connection with suffering from exposure to radioactive emissions which later led to their disability. On 1 June 2011 the Department of the Federal Treasury Fund in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of Kabardino Balkaria against the judgment of 17 January 2011 requesting that the statutory ten-day time limit for lodging such an appeal against the judgment be restored. The Supreme Court restored the limit and ordered the applicants to return the money they had received pursuant to the judgment of 17 January 2011.The applicants complain under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that restoration of the time-limit for an appeal resulting in quashing of the final judgment in their favour violated the principle of legal certainty.

At the material time Mr Akhdan Tamayev lived together with his family and the applicant in the settlement of Roshni-Chu. The settlement was under curfew. According to enclosed documents, on 4-6 January 2001 Russian servicemen conducted a sweeping-up operation in Roshni-Chu. The operation’s head office was stationed on the outskirts. On 6 January 2001 at around 9 a.m. the applicant went to the local administration, taking Akhdan’s passport with him. A group of servicemen arrived at the applicant’s house and took Akhdan with them because he failed to show his passport. They put him in a GAZ-66 lorry and drove to the outskirts of Roshni-Chu. Akhdan’s wife, who witnessed the abduction, ran to the local administration, where she met the applicant and told him about the events. When the applicant returned home, Akhdan was not there. The house was surrounded by servicemen armed with machineguns, accompanied by the head of the administration, Mr Mamatsuyev. A serviceman took Akhdan’s passport and confirmed to the applicant that his soon would soon be released. Shortly thereafter Mr G.A. Gadzhiyev, the military commander for the Urus-Martan district, and Mr Z.K. Kuryayev, the head of the Urus-Martan ROVD, arrived at the spot. They informed the applicant that Akhdan would be taken to the ROVD for an identity check and released. On the same day the servicemen arrested two other residents, the brothers Muslim and Alikhan Movkayev. After their release that evening, the brothers informed the applicant that Akhdan had been arrested with them. The servicemen had taken the three of them to the outskirts of town in the GAZ lorry, kept them there until 5 p.m. and then took them to the ROVD. At around 6 p.m. Muslim and Alikhan had been released, whereas Akhdan had remained at the police station. On 7 January 2001 Mr Mamatsuyev told the applicant that he had gone to the ROVD, where he had been promised that Akhdan would be released at 10 a.m. on the same day. However, the applicant’s son was not released. On 5 February 2001 the applicant went to the police station. An officer informed him that Akhdan’s detention there had been registered and that he had been transferred to the premises of an FSB department. The applicant has not seen Mr Akhdan Tamayev since his abduction on 6 January 2001.

According to the applicants, on 13-15 December 2001 Russian servicemen conducted a sweeping-up operation in Argun. The town was surrounded by military checkpoints and the residents required authorisation to enter or leave the town. On-duty servicemen in the streets made it impossible for the residents to move around. At the material time the applicants and Yakub Dzhabrailov lived as a family in two neighbouring houses. On 14 December 2001 a group of twenty servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house in an APC and a UAZ “tabletka” car with obscured registration plates. The servicemen were camouflaged and unmasked, of Russian or Asian appearance and spoke unaccented Russian. Having searched Yakub’s house, they made a threat to the applicants that they would take Yakub with them and added that those whom they had taken away had never returned home. On 15 December 2001 at around noon the same servicemen arrived in the neighbourhood in the APC and cordoned off the area. Some of them broke into the applicants’ house and locked the applicants in, while two others entered Yakub’s house. They forced Yakub outside, put him in the APC and drove to the military commander’s office. Servicemen patrolling the streets witnessed the events but did not interfere. Later on the same day the second applicant went to the Argun town administration where she met about fifty relatives of other men arrested during the special operation. Two representatives of the town council informed her that the arrestees had been taken to a “filtering” point on the outskirts of Argun and agreed to pass on clothes to Yakub. In the evening the applicant learnt that the arrested men would be transferred to the military commander’s office. On 17 December 2001 the military commander’s office informed the applicants that the special operation had been conducted by a special forces unit which did not report to the office and that none of the arrested men had been brought to their premises. Subsequently the applicants learnt that Yakub and seven other persons arrested on 13-15 December 2001 had not been released. On 18 December 2001 the first applicant heard Yakub screaming at the district military commander’s office. The applicants have not seen Mr Yakub Dzhabrailov since his abduction on 15 December 2001.

At the material time Mr Moul Usumov worked at the Kurchaloy FSB. The Kurchaloy district military commander’s office and the FSB department’s office were situated on the eastern outskirts of Kurchaloy, close to the 33rd regiment (33 бригада) of the Russian armed forces stationed on the premises of the Roads Department (дорожно-ремонтно-строительное управление, ДРСУ). On 30 June 2001 at 3.30 a.m. a group of fifteen to twenty armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms with dogs cordoned off the applicants’ neighbourhood in APC no. L119 (Л119), a UAZ car and two URAL lorries. Seven servicemen broke into the applicants’ house and ordered the applicants to lie down on the floor in unaccented Russian. After searching the premises, the servicemen took away money, a number of valuables and Moul’s military service card. One of the servicemen hit Moul with the rifle butt, demanding that he spell out his name. Then the servicemen handcuffed Moul, took him outside, put him in the APC and drove away. The first applicant and her relative, Mr Sheykhi Usumov, followed the vehicles and saw them entering the premises of the 33rd regiment. The applicant also saw other Kurchaloy residents driving towards the regiment. She learnt that seven other men had been arrested that day. Later on the same day the Kurchaloy district military commander and the head of the Kurchaloy FSB, Mr Viktor Ivanovich, agreed to talk to the first applicant and seven other women. The military commander acknowledged that the servicemen of the 33rd regiment had arrested their relatives but denied his subordinates’ involvement in the abduction. The head of the FSB told the applicant: “It comes as a shock to me to hear that Mr Usumov has been arrested. He belongs to us. Don’t worry; he will be released by 4 p.m.” He replied to the other women: “You should have cried earlier, not now. Your sons are up to the elbows in blood and they shall be held liable.” However, Moul was not released that day. On 1 July 2001 the head of the FSB informed the first applicant that, despite Moul’s innocence, under the law, the servicemen of the 33rd regiment could detain him for up to ten days. He asked the applicant to bring some clothes for her husband. However, a day later, the officer told her that he could not help her as some superior power structures had taken care of Moul. The applicant was no longer allowed to talk to Mr Viktor Ivanovich. Some time later the deputy military commander informed the applicants that Moul had been released between 15 and 18 July 2001 along with the other seven detainees. Those individuals later confirmed that they had been detained together with Moul but he had not been released with them. The applicants have not seen Mr Moul Usumov since his abduction on 30 June 2001.

According to the applicants, in September-October 2002 federal servicemen conducted a special operation in Gudermes and arrested about thirty people, including the Suleymanov brothers. The servicemen took the arrested men to the Gudermes district department of the interior (“the ROVD”) in buses belonging to the Federal Security Service (“the FSB”). After their fingerprints were checked and pictures taken, the arrested men were released. At the material time the applicants and Salambek, Khasanbek and Anderbek resided in two neighbouring houses in Gudermes. The town was under curfew. On 28 October 2002 two neighbours, Mr Ali Mukhadiyev and Mr Musa Zakayev, visited the applicants. Anderbek joked that the applicants kept bombs in the basement. It appears that Musa Zakayev had previously been detained by the FSB and released on condition of providing information. According to the applicants, he could have informed the FSB about the joke. On 29 October 2002 at around 4 a.m. a group of camouflaged servicemen in masks and helmets arrived at the applicants’ houses in two UAZ “tabletka” cars. They were armed with short-barrelled automatic rifles (Тюльпанчик). The servicemen stormed inside, quickly searched the houses, looking for drugs, firearms, and, in particular, for the bomb allegedly hidden in the basement. Threatening the applicants in unaccented Russian, the servicemen ordered them to lie down on the floor. They collected the applicants’ and the three brothers’ identity documents, put the latter in the UAZ and drove off in the direction of the town centre, with unobstructed passage through a checkpoint on the way. A week later a former classmate of Khasanbek told the applicants that their relatives had been detained in a temporary detention centre (“the IVS”) on the ROVD’s premises. FSB officers guarded them and occasionally took them out. Khasanbek had passed an item of his clothing over to his parents through another acquaintance and asked him to inform them of his place of detention. However, the ROVD officers denied that the brothers were detained there and did not allow the applicants to enter the premises. Another of the applicants’ neighbours, a ROVD officer, also confirmed that the three men had been held at the ROVD. The applicants subsequently learnt from anonymous sources that in 2003 the brothers had been detained at the premises of an FSB department, that in 2003 Salambek had been taken to Rostov and onward to Yaroslavl and that Mr Aslan Dzhamadayev, the head of the criminal search unit at the ROVD, had ordered the abduction. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 29 October 2002.

On 19 September 2001 a group of about fifteen servicemen arrived at the applicants’ neighbourhood in Urus-Martan and cordoned off the area. Their UAZ car had no registration plates and the registration number of their URAL lorry was obscured with mud. All of the servicemen were armed, in camouflage uniforms and masks, save for the commanding officer. The latter was unmasked, had Slavic features and had an FSB emblem on his sleeve. After a quick search of the applicants’ house, the servicemen told them in unaccented Russian that they had to take away Ramzan and Aslan to check their fingerprints at a laboratory, which was situated on the premises of an Azeri market on the western outskirts of Urus-Martan. As the applicants refused to let their relatives go, the commander started shooting in the air. After that, the servicemen collected the bullet shells, put Aslan in the UAZ and Ramzan in the URAL and drove away. Immediately after the arrest, the first applicant went to the market and the Urus-Martan district military commander’s office but his arrested relatives were not there. Then he went to the district prosecutor’s office, where he was told that the two men had been taken to the IVS at the Urus-Martan ROVD. In the evening, an official from the local administration confirmed this information to the second applicant, adding that both men would be released as soon as they had had their fingerprints checked. Mr Radmir Arbekov, an assistant to the district prosecutor, agreed to pass on some food brought by the applicant for them. However, Ramzan and Aslan were not released that day. On 20 September 2001 the ROVD officers informed the applicants that their relatives had been transferred to the district military commander’s office. However, nobody at the office acknowledged their detention. On 8 October 2001 the second applicant saw the commanding officer who had participated in her relatives’ arrest at the military commander’s office. Sometime later she saw two other servicemen, who could have also participated in her relatives’ abduction. When approached, one of the servicemen introduced himself as Vitaliy. The applicants have not seen Ramzan and Aslan Chankayev since their abduction on 19 September 2001.

Mr Dzhamali Sultanov has been suffering from a disability. In September 2004 he had an argument with Mr Ruslan Solgiriyev, a local police officer. According to the applicants, the latter, in order to get back at Dzhamali, could have deliberately misinformed the Achkhoy-Martan ROVD that Dzhamali was involved in illegal activity. On 5 November 2004 at around 3 a.m. a group of servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house. Five of them broke into the house. They were in camouflage uniforms and armed with machineguns; three of them wore masks and the others were wearing helmets and caps. Those with open faces were of Slavic appearance; the servicemen spoke Russian and Chechen. They asked whether the applicants had any weapons or drugs, then checked Dzhamali’s passport, forced him outside and put him in a khaki UAZ car. They said that they were taking him to Grozny. Then the UAZ departed in the direction of Achkhoy-Martan, accompanied by a convoy of about ten vehicles, including UAZs, GAZEL minivans, VAZ-21099 and Lada (Жигули) civilian cars. Later in the night a serviceman manning a roadblock in the vicinity confirmed that the convoy had entered Achkhoy-Martan. According to the applicants, the abductors acted on the false information given to the ROVD by Ruslan Solgiriyev. Five days later the applicants’ acquaintance, Mr Akhdan, who served at the seventh military commander’s squadron stationed in Achkhoy-Martan (седьмая ачхой-мартановская комендантская рота), confirmed having seen the convoy in Achkhoy-Martan. He submitted that a UAZ car had entered the the ROVD’s grounds, while the rest of the convoy continued to drive. According to Mr Akhdan, Dzhamali had been detained at the ROVD and had been questioned by Mr V.N. Kulikov, the head of the ROVD’s criminal search department. According to the applicants, Mr V.N. Kulikov was the head of the Zheleznodorozhniy ROVD in Voronezh and was on a temporary assignment in Achkhoy-Martan. According to the Memorial NGO, in November 2006 Mr Kulikov had participated in the abduction of another Samashki resident, Mr Murad Magomadov. In a meeting with the first applicant, Mr A. Sadovnikov, Mr Kulikov’s deputy at the Achkhoy-Martan ROVD denied that Mr Dzhamali had been detained at the ROVD. Mr Akhdan was killed several days after the conversation with the applicants. The applicants have not seen Mr Dzhamali Sultanov since his abduction on 5 November 2004.

At the relevant time the applicant and Aldan Eldarov lived in neighbouring houses in Gekhi. According to the applicant, on 9 August 2000 federal servicemen started a three-day sweeping-up operation in Gekhi. They surrounded the settlement in their UAZ cars and URAL lorries, cordoned off the area and blocked the roads leading to and from the settlement. The servicemen deployed on the eastern outskirts of Gekhi. Around two hundred of the village’s male residents were arrested during the operation. At around 10.30 a.m. a group of servicemen conducted a search at Aldan’s house. They took away a group photograph of Aldan, his brother and some police officers from Grozny, all of whom were in military uniforms. Then the servicemen left and Aldan went to see the applicant. Later, at around 11 a.m., two servicemen arrived at the applicant’s house in a UAZ lorry, no. OBS 31-62 (ОБС 31-62). The applicant knew the servicemen personally as Mr Vadim and Mr Oleg Yefimenko. The latter was in charge of the operation in the applicant’s street. Prior to their being sent to work with the Urus-Martan ROVD, both officers had worked in the economic crimes unit of the Penza ROVD. The servicemen told the applicant that they were to bring Aldan to the military base in connection with the photograph, then they put him in their car and left. The applicant was unable to follow them because his car was stopped by servicemen carrying out the special operation. On that day the servicemen also arrested Mr Akhmet Kadyrov and his two brothers. After checking their passports, the servicemen took them to the military base in an APC and placed them in cages and tents with other detainees. The cages were surrounded by dozens of military vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers (APCs), tanks and a helicopter. The detainees, who were questioned about whether they knew any rebel fighters or local residents who had weapons, were subjected to beatings. Akhmet shared his cell with Aldan. As Aldan was in a very bad state after questioning, servicemen took him in an APC to hospital. Akhmet and his brothers were released. On 10 August 2000 the head of the local administration, Mr Said-Selim Aydamirov, informed the applicant that the servicemen conducting the operation would release the detainee in exchange for a machinegun. The applicant agreed to the exchange. However, after having visited the military base, Mr Aydamirov stated that Aldan had been taken to hospital. In September 2000 a burial site was discovered on the outskirts of Gekhi. Two of the bodies identified belonged to the Musayev brothers, also Gekhi residents, who had been arrested in the same period of time as Aldan. The applicant has not seen Mr Aldan Eldarov since his abduction on 9 August 2000.

At the material time the applicants resided in Stariye Atagi together with their family, including Ziyavdi and Zayndi, the first applicant’s husband. On 21 April 2002 at around 7.30 a.m. a group of about fifty or sixty armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house in APC no. 422 BB (422 ВВ) and two armoured infantry combat vehicles nos. 344 and 346. They were of Slavic appearance and spoke unaccented Russian. The servicemen broke into the house, arrested Ziyavdi and Zayndi, dragged them outside, put them in the APC and departed towards the outskirts of Stariye Atagi. In about a hundred metres, they had to let Zayndi go as he was having a stroke. Then the servicemen continued driving until they arrived at a windmill on the outskirts of Stariye Atagi where a Russian military unit was stationed. The applicants, their relatives and neighbours followed the intruders. When they approached the windmill, they saw the three abductors’ vehicles parked on the premises of the military unit. The visitors attracted the servicemen’s attention to this fact and the latter obscured the plates with mud. The deputy head of the Stariye Atagi administration was not allowed to enter the premises. At around 3 p.m. on the same day servicemen left the military unit in two APCs, one of which had registration no. 422 BB, a white VAZ-2106 car and a khaki UAZ “tabletka” minivan with blackened windows. They drove in the direction of Grozny. The applicants have not seen Mr Ziyavdi Elmurzayev since his abduction on 21 April 2002.

At the material time Mr Islam Ibragimov and Mr Apti Sadulayev resided in two neighbouring houses in Shali with the applicants and their respective families. On 17 January 2003 at 4 a.m. a group of armed and masked servicemen arrived at the applicants’ homes in seven APCs with obscured plates. They burst into the two houses, ordered everyone to lie down on the floor in unaccented Russian and checked the identity documents of Isman, Apti and the first applicant. Then the servicemen took them outside, along with the second applicant and Mr Rashid Sadulayev, Apti’s cousin, forced them into an APC, pulling their T-shirts over their heads, and drove away. A package dropped off from an CAP. One of the servicemen told the third applicant to look for their relatives at the ROVD. At first, Islam, the first and the second applicants were placed in the same APC with Apti and Rashid. After about twenty-five minutes the servicemen pulled over, took the arrested men outside, made them lie down on the ground, then put them back in the APC, save for Ilyas, who was put in another APC, and continued to drive. The servicemen drove Ilyas to Tsotsan-Yurt and released him. As to the other four arrested men, their APC pulled over again and the men were put on the ground, asked to say their names and then placed in a wagon. Forty minutes later the servicemen put Rashid and the first applicant in a URAL lorry and drove away. After about thirty minutes the two men arrived at a garage-like building where they were kept until 18 January 2003. According to the applicants, the two men must have been detained in a windmill in Staryie Atagi, which was used as a filtering point by Russian servicemen (see Arzu Akhmadova and Others v. Russia, no. 13670/03, § 195, 8 January 2009). After that, the men were taken in an APC to the vicinity of the town of Argun and released. In the days following the abduction, the applicants, their relatives and neighbours contacted various authorities. In particular, while in Khankala, Mr Khasin Abkayev met Generals Said-Selim Tsuyev and Ibragim Suleymanov, who promised their assistance, and Generals Abrashin and Pospelov, who said that the matter was not in their competence. Furthermore, Mr Bachal Baysuyev talked to Akhmed-Khadzhi Kadyrov and to General Makarov, both of whom promised to help to solve the matter within a week but failed to do so. According to them, a criminal investigation had been opened against Islam and Apti and the latter was being questioned by the prosecuting authorities. Mr Fedorov, the Shali military commander, confirmed this on local TV, adding that Islam and Apti were safe and sound. The applicants did not manage to obtain a copy of the TV programme. The applicants have not seen Mr Islam Ibragimov and Mr Apti Sadulayev since their abduction on 17 January 2003.

The applicant alleged that he had been held in appalling conditions in a temporary detention centre in in the town of Mayskiy in the Kabardino-Balkariya Republic in 2004 and 2005, and that he had no effective remedies in this respect; that the domestic courts had refused, on spurious grounds, to examine a number of cases brought by him; and that the prison authorities had failed to dispatch his correspondence to the Court. He cited Articles 3, 6, 13 and 34 of the Convention.

On 28 December 2004 Zhamalayla Yanayev was supposed to take the flight Beslan-Moscow and checked in at Beslan airport. Before the flight took off several servicemen, identifying themselves as officers of the regional Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation by showing their service certificates, entered the secure airport premises. The servicemen arrested Yanayev and left the airport with him. Yanayev has been missing since.

On 11 January 2003 at around 4 a.m. a group of masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms armed with machineguns arrived in at the applicant’s house in three UAZ cars, a white VOLGA car and a GAZEL minivan. Some of them spoke unaccented Russian, while the others had a Chechen accent. The intruders broke inside, beat up the family members, including Mansur, and drove him away in an unknown direction. The applicant subsequently learnt that Mansur had been taken to the Novogroznenskiy police station (the ROVD), then to the sixth department of the Gudermes ROVD and after that to Khankala. The applicant has not seen Mr Mansur Esuyev since his abduction on 11 January 2003.

In 2001 Mr Zelimkhan Batariyev studied and rented a flat in Grozny. According to the documents submitted, on the night of 4 May 2001 Russian servicemen conducted a special operation to arrest a certain one-handed Mr Taysumov. The latter resided in the same block of flats as Zelimkhan. A number of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms cordoned off the neighbourhood in their APCs and UAZ cars. They arrested Mr Taysumov and a number of his relatives as well as Zelimkhan and two to five other young men who rented flats in the building. Some of the arrested were Wahhabis, radical Chechen rebels. On 6 May 2001 brothers Bislan and Turpal Sadayev, who had been arrested on 4 May 2001 at the Grozny central market and later released, contacted the applicant. They told her that the servicemen had taken them, together with Zelimkhan, to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala. The servicemen had beaten them up and suggested that Zelimkhan’s relatives exchanged him for a ransom. Subsequently, one of the Sadayev brothers went missing and the other left Russia. In June 2001 the applicant spoke to Mr Khamzat Israpilov, who had been detained with Zelimkhan in Khankala. The two of them had spent 16 days in a pit at the military base. Servicemen had repeatedly subjected them to beatings, coercing them to confess to illegal armed activities. Most of the time the detainees had been blindfolded, their hands tied and they had been allowed to speak only at night. In 2003 Khamzat died in an accident. According to anonymous witnesses, Zelimkhan remained in Khankala at least until 20 May 2001. In July 2001 the applicant met Ms Tumisha Zaurbekova, whose son, Mr Isa Zaurbekov, had been detained in Chernokozovo with Zelimkhan until October 2001. The applicant tried to confirm this information with the prison’s guard Mr Ruslan Elzhurkayev; but the latter denied that Zelimkhan’s had been detained there. In July 2010 the applicant visited Ms Zina Dashayeva, who had been arrested on the same day with Zelimkhan (see above). Zina recalled that she had heard servicemen exchanging in unaccented Russian before taking Zelimkhan away: “This guy is clean, we might have problems” - “We don’t need live witnesses”. The servicemen had driven Zina and her sister Zaira to a building in Grozny in a UAZ car. She had recognised Zelimkhan among the detainees. He had been lying on the floor and looked as if he had been beaten up. The applicant has not seen Mr Zelimkhan Batariyev since his abduction on 4 May 2001.

On 8 May 2004 at around midnight a convoy of vehicles, including two APCs (one of which had the registration no. 233), a UAZ “tabletka” car, two NIVA cars, four VAZ cars and a GAZEL minivan, arrived at the neighbourhood. Several groups of up to fifteen armed, masked and camouflaged servicemen got out of the vehicles and stormed into the applicants’ and Ramzan’s mother’s houses, as well as three other neighbouring houses. The servicemen conducted a quick search in Ramzan’s mother’s house, locked her inside and left. At the applicants’ house, the servicemen, who spoke unaccented Russian, checked Ramzan’s passport and took Ramzan outside. Around five or six servicemen searched the premises saying that they were looking for Wahhabis, radical Chechen rebels, as they had received information that the applicant’s family was a Wahhabi one. Then the intruders tied the first applicant’s limbs, sealed her mouth with duct tape and left. Shortly afterwards the applicant managed to set herself free and tried to follow the departing vehicles. She saw them passing through checkpoint no. 121 between Chiri-Yurt and Novye Atagi. On 10 May 2004 the Shali district prosecutor’s office denied that they had any information of the events. The applicants conducted their own investigation into the abduction. Their acquaintance, Mr Nur-Ali Eskiyev, informed them that Ramzan had been taken to the FSB department in Avtury upon the order of Mr Sergey Gromov, a FSB officer, also known as ‘Terek’. After that Ramzan had been transferred to a FSB department in Stariye Atagi headed by a FSB officer nicknamed ‘Piton’. Both FSB departments acknowledged Ramzan’s detention on their premises and guaranteed his safety. At a certain point ‘Piton’ negotiated Ramzan’s release with the applicants against a machinegun. They agreed on meeting for the exchange in the outskirts of Mesker-Yurt by the Rostov-Baku road. At the meeting ‘Piton’ informed the applicants that Ramzan had been transferred to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala and therefore he was unable to obtain his release.  The applicants have not seen Mr Ramzan Shaipov since his abduction on 8 May 2004.

On 16 July 2003 at around 5 p.m. a gray UAZ “tabletka” car without registration numbers and a white VAZ-21099 car with blackened windows arrived at the applicant’s house. A group of twelve to fifteen camouflaged servicemen in helmets got out of the UAZ. They spoke unaccented Russian and were armed with machineguns, pistols and special firearms with silencers of Russian special forces (“vintorezy”, винторезы). The servicemen quickly searched the premises looking for firearms. Then they put Artur Ibragimov in the UAZ and drove in the direction of Serzhen-Yurt. The servicemen also used an APC, which departed in the direction of Avtury. On 17 July 2003 Mr Dakayev, the head of the Shali administration, told the applicant that the servicemen could have belonged to special division no. 1 or 2 (Дивизия особого назначения № 1, 2, ДОН-1, 2) or the Federal Security Service (the FSB) unit stationed in the outskirts of Avtury whereas the Shali district military commander’s office denied any knowledge of the events. On 18 July 2003 the applicant handed over the serviceman’s identification tag to an investigator of the Shali district prosecutor’s office, who promised to her to have it examined by experts. In 2004 the applicant learnt from anonymous witnesses that her nephew had been taken to the Main Federal Military Base in Khankala and then transferred to a detention ward in Chernokozovo. The applicant has not seen Mr Artur Ibragimov since his abduction 16 July 2003.

On 3 May 2001 at around 7 a.m. federal servicemen started a sweeping-up operation in the settlement of Tsa-Vedeno. A group of thirty armed servicemen, some of whom were wearing masks, parked their two APCs and a URAL lorry by the applicant’s porch and burst into the house. They forced outside Mr Isa Mikiyev and his son, Mr Khalid Mikiyev, and put them in one of the APCs. Further, the servicemen took Khalid’s passport and drove in the direction of Grozny. The applicants followed the intruders. According to them, the servicemen freely passed through a checkpoint situated at the exit from the village; the checkpoint was closed for crossing that day. However, on-duty officers denied to the applicants that they had seen the vehicles and suggested that the applicants returned home in case of another check. The applicants obeyed. Upon return, they saw groups of servicemen who were conducting identity checks in almost every courtyard. There were many military vehicles, including APCs, and helicopters were flying over the settlement. As a result of the operation, the servicemen took away another 18 men, including Mr Akhyad Saydulayev, a neighbour. One abduction case, Atabayeva and Others v. Russia (no. 26064/02, 12 June 2008), was examined by the Court. All but five men (Isa Mikiyev, Sultan and Chumadi Indarbayev, Khampasha and Ramzan Kukuyev) were subsequently released. The last release took place on 21 May 2001. According to Khalid Mikiyev, once arrived at the checkpoint on 3 May 2001, the servicemen put Isa, Akhyad and himself, along with the other 17 Tsa-Vedeno residents, in a military helicopter and took them to a military base in Khankala. There servicemen took out all of the detainees, except for Khalid and Akhyad. The latter were further escorted to Serzhen-Yurt. In the afternoon on the same day the Tsa-Vedeno district military commander’s office informed the applicants that Khalid and Akhyad were in Shali. Local policemen brought them home in the evening. Other detainees told the applicants that in Khankala they had been placed together with Isa in a cellar. Servicemen had questioned the detainees one by one and beaten them up. The applicants have not seen Mr Isa Mikiyev since his abduction on 3 May 2001.

On 12 March 2005 and on 13 October 2005 applicant was allegedly beaten up by checkpoint officers between Nazran and Nalchik. Investigator refused to institute criminal proceedings against the checkpoint officers. A judge upheld the refusal, noting that the related facts had already been examined at the applicant’s own trial. The applicant complains under Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention that he was ill-treated by the checkpoint officers and that the investigating authorities and the courts failed to properly establish the relevant circumstances.

On 10 July 2006 the Federal Security Service of Russia (the FSB) carried out a military operation in the village of Ekazhevo in Ingushetia . On the same date the FSB Director reported that as a result of an explosion a group of “guerrilla fighters”, including Isa Kushtov, had been “eliminated”. On 11 July 2006 Isa's relatives identified his body in the Nazran morgue. Isa's mother also left a blood sample for the identification of her son. In August 2006, the prosecutor's office refused to return Isa's body to his relatives for funeral on the ground that the persons killed on 10 July had not been identified. The decision was later upheld by both the district court and supreme court of Ingushetia.

On 14 January 2005 Sultan Vagapov was killed in the course of a mopping-up operation carried out by Russian military servicemen in the Chechen village of Zumsoy. It appears that his body was taken to the military base of Khankala. His mother has since unsuccessfully requested to see her son's body and to have the body handed over for burial. In a decision of 26 April 2005 the military prosecutor denied her request stating that “the bodies of terrorists are not handed over for burial and the place of their burial remains undisclosed”.

Early in the morning of 13 October 2005 law enforcement officers in the city of Nalchik were attacked, reportedly by armed insurgents. Around 135 people were killed in the ensuing battle, and dozens of unidentified bodies were taken to the town morgue where they were kept in appalling conditions. Zamir Zalov and Murat Khakulov were among those killed. As with the other bodies (see Sabanchiyeva v. Russia, 38450/05) Russian authorities have subsequently refused to hand them over to relatives for burial.

Early in the morning of 13 October 2005 law enforcement officers in the city of Nalchik were attacked, reportedly by armed insurgents. Around 135 people were killed in the ensuing battle, and dozens of unidentified bodies were taken to the town morgue where they were kept in appalling conditions. Lokman Arkhestov, Kantemir Balkizov, Arsen Margushev, Anatoliy Tukov and Aslan Shogenov were among those killed. Azamat Brayev was killed on 12 November 2005 and Albert Zhekamukhov on 6 January 2006. As in several other cases (see e.g. Sabanchiyeva v. Russia, 38450/05, and Zalov and Khakulova v. Russia, 7988/09) Russian authorities have subsequently refused to hand over their bodies to relatives for burial.

On 11 August 2002 at around 4 a.m. a group of masked and camouflaged servicemen armed with machineguns broke into the applicants’ house in the Avtury settlement, the Shali District. They arrived in two grey APCs and a UAZ vehicle without registration plates. The servicemen threatened the applicants with firearms and then took Uvays Dokuyev away in the UAZ. They told the applicants that they intended to check his identity through a computerised database at the Shali district military commander’s office. The servicemen did not let the applicants follow, throwing smoke grenades to keep them away. The Shali district military commander’s office denied to the applicants that Uvays had ever been brought there. The applicants have not seen Uvays Dokuyev since his abduction on 11 August 2002.

On 8 June 2002 at 6 a.m. an APC with registration no. 023 and a UAZ vehicle without registration plates arrived at the applicants’ house in Shali. A group of masked and camouflaged servicemen carrying shields and machineguns got out of the vehicles. A part of them cordoned off the house, whereas the others stormed inside. After searching the premises, the servicemen took Rizvan and Bislan outside and pushed them to the ground. They told the applicants in unaccented Russian that they would check whether the two brothers were involved in something illegal and, if not, would set them free. Then the servicemen put Rizvan and Bislan in their military vehicles and drove away to an unknown destination. The applicants have not seen Rizvan and Bislan Musliyev since their abduction on 8 June 2002.

On 21 July 2002 at 2.30 a.m. around ten to fifteen camouflaged servicemen armed with machineguns broke into the Alkhazur Salmurzayev's house. All but one were masked and had Slavic features. The intruders locked the Alhkazur's mother and father in a room, searched the house, then Alkhazur and his brother and checked their passports. Then they took Alkhazur outside and walked away with him in the direction of the Urus-Martan – Alkhazurovo road, where a military checkpoint manned by servicemen from the Yaroslavl Special Task Police Unit (ОМОН) was situated. Shortly afterwards the applicant heard the noise of starting engines. Other witnesses saw an APC and 3 UAZ vehicles in the vicinity. On the same night the servicemen also broke into a neighbouring house. For two months after the abduction the applicant regularly contacted various law-enforcement agencies and local administrations, which promised to her to establish her son’s whereabouts. In the end, Mr Kovrayev, the head of the Urus-Martan district administration, told her that Alkhazur was dead; at some point later he retracted and claimed that Alkhazur was somewhere in detention. The applicant has not seen Mr Alkhazur Salmurzayev since his abduction on 21 July 2002.

On 14 July 2001 at around 3 a.m. a group of masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms, armed with machineguns, broke into the Baymuradovs’ house in Serzhen-Yurt. They beat up Mr Sobur-Ali and Mr Bislan Bedigov, then covered their heads with white cloths and dragged them to the backyard. The servicemen continued beating the men outside. Then they tied Sobur-Ali’s limbs and covered the two men’s mouths with duct tape. Further, one of the servicemen, acting on an order received through his portable radio, led Bislan to the basement and mined the door. Meanwhile, the servicemen locked the applicants in a room. Then they searched the house and took away a number of valuables, leaving the house in a mess. After that the servicemen put Sobur-Ali in an APC and, accompanied by a convoy of another APC and two URAL lorries, drove away. The vehicles’ registration numbers were obscured with mud. The applicants have not seen Mr Sobur-Ali Bedigov since his abduction on 14 July 2001.

On 4 January 2003 at around 4 a.m. a group of armed and camouflaged servicemen cordoned off the Mazhiyevs’ block of flats on 2 APCs, 2 UAZs “tabletka” and a URAL. They burst into the Mazhiyevs’ flats on the pretext of an identity check. Some of them were wearing masks and helmets with torches. The unmasked servicemen had Slavic features. In unaccented Russian they asked the applicants and their relatives for the identity documents, arms, money and valuables and ordered them to lie down on the floor. Then the servicemen tied Alik’s, Arbi’s, Khasan’s and Khuseyn’s hands, gagged them and the men’s mouths with duct tape, took their identity Documents and led them outside. They put four men into their vehicles and drove away in an unknown direction. The applicants have not seen Mazhieyv Alik, Arbi, Khasan and Khuseyn since their abduction on 4 January 2003.

On 16 July 2003 between 4 and 5 a.m. groups of up to ten camouflaged servicemen armed with machineguns broke into Mr Rustam Shakhgareyev’s and Mr Zelimkhan Kagirov’s flats. Some servicemen did not have masks and had Slavic features. After quick questioning and search of the premises, the servicemen took the two men outside, put them in their vehicles with obscured registration numbers and departed in an unknown direction. The servicemen told the applicants to look for Rustam and Zelimkhan at the Ministry of the Interior. Meanwhile Mr Zelimkhan Latayev and Mr Khavazhi Aliyev noticed that their house was surrounded by servicemen and tried to escape through the window. However, once in the street, they were arrested by servicemen who drove them away. It appears that ten other residents were arrested by the servicemen on the same day. A convoy of several cars freely passed through a checkpoint situated on an exit road from Chernorechye. Offices of the law-enforcement agencies located in the vicinity, such as the Zavodskoy district department of the interior (the ROVD) and the district military commander’s office, denied having any knowledge of the events. The applicants have not seen Rustam Shakhgareyev, Zelimkhan Kagirov,  Zelimkhan Latayev and Khavazhi Aliyev since their abduction on 16 July 2003.

On 6 January 2005 at around 4 p.m. 3 armed persons arrived at the applicant’s house in a silver VAZ-21099 car without registration plates. They talked to Lom-Ali outside in the street and then took him in their car to Gudermes. The applicant has not seen Mr Lom-Ali Akhmoatov since his abduction on 6 January 2005. The investigation has been suspended and resumed on several occasions (the last resumption took place on 17 February 2010), without attaining any tangible result.

On 26 May 2001 a special regiment of the federal forces conducted a military operation in Shali. At around 4 a.m. a group of armed, masked and camouflaged men broke into Adam Abdulvakhidov’s house and took him away in an APC without registration numbers. The applicant has not seen Mr Adam Abdulvakhidov since his abduction on 26 May 2001.

At the relevant time the applicant, her husband Mr Masud Khakimov and their children resided in the Red Cross refugee camp situated on the premises of a secondary school in Novye Atagi. On 24 April 2001 armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms broke into the building and abducted Mr Masud Khakimov together with four other men. Sometime later Mr Gennadiy Nakhayev, the Shali district military commander, told the applicant that her husband had been taken away either by servicemen from special division no. 2 or by special regiment no. 19 of Novosibirsk, headed by colonel Mr Dortsenko. The applicant has not seen Mr Masud Khakimov since his abduction on 24 April 2001.

On 17 March 2006 at 11 p.m. 15 servicemen with Slavic features broke into the applicant and her husband's flat in Grozny as if for an identity check. They had previously searched adjacent flats and blown up a grenade by the applicant's porch. Some of the men spoke unaccented Russian, some spoke Chechen. The servicemen were wearing Russian uniform and carrying machine-guns, shields, caps and helmets with torches. After a quick search of the flat, the men pulled Mr Zayndi Ayubov's jacket over his head, dragged him outside, put him in one of their two white GAZEL cars and drove away. The applicant has not seen Mr Zayndi Ayubov since the abduction on 17 March 2006.

The Basnukayevs and the Alisultanovs are neighbours. Mr Mausyr Basnukayev lived together with his family. Mr Vakha Alisultanov lived together with his family and son Rustam. Mr Vakha Alisultanov’s brother, Mr Shamsudi Alisultanov, was staying at Vakha’s place in April 2000. The Basnukayevs’ house was situated in 300 metres from the Alisultanovs’ house in the settlement of Chechen-Aul. In April 2000 Chechen-Aul was under curfew and surrounded by Russian military checkpoints. On 16 April 2000 at around 3 a.m. around thirty camouflaged servicemen armed with short barrelled machine-guns cordoned off the applicants’ houses and broke inside. They parked their APC, URAL lorry and two UAZ cars in the vicinity. Those of the intruders who were unmasked had Slavic appearance. Questioning the applicants about drugs and firearms in unaccented Russian, the servicemen searched the dwellings. They beat up Shamsudi and Vakha. They checked Mausyr’s, Vakha’s and Shamsudi’s identity documents and took them outside. Rustam accompanied Vakha and Shamsudi. After placing Mausyr and Vakha in the URAL lorry and Shamsudi in one of the UAZ vehicles, the servicemen drove away towards the outskirts. The 7th applicant submitted that he had seen UAZ track prints on the ground next to the Alisultanovs’ house on the morning following the abduction. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 16 April 2000.

In February 2004 Mr Suliman Yunusov was staying in his friend’s house in Grozny. At that time Grozny was surrounded by a number of Russian military checkpoints. The nearest checkpoint was situated within 300 metres from the house, at the crossroads of Pervomayskaya and Mayakovskaya Streets. On 25 February 2004 at around 7 a.m. a group of twelve to fifteen armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived in an APC, two white NIVA cars and a white VOLGA car at the house of Suliman’s friend. Another two APCs were waiting at the crossroads. The servicemen of Slavic and Asian appearances broke into the friend’s house and the neighbouring ones and searched them. In a neighbouring house the servicemen beat up male family members and questioned them about members of illegal armed groups. One of them, Musa, showed his service identity card stating that he worked at the Ministry of Emergencies. The neighbours heard the servicemen saying over their portable radio transmitters: “Zakat (sunset), we are leaving!” Shortly thereafter the servicemen left. Meanwhile the other group of servicemen took Suliman out of his friend’s house, put him in one of their NIVA cars and drove him away in the direction of Pervomayskaya Street. The applicant submitted that on 25 February 2004, in connection with a murder of a fellow officer, the servicemen had conducted the large scale mopping-up operation in Grozny. The applicant has not seen Mr Suliman Yunusov since his abduction on 25 February 2004.

In autumn 2001 Goyty was under curfew and surrounded by Russian military checkpoints. The military commander’s office and a police station operated in the settlement. On 4 November 2001 at around 5 a.m. a group of five or six armed masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms broke into the applicant’s house and ordered everyone to lie face down on the floor. One of them handcuffed the applicant. The servicemen quickly searched the house and took Mr Musa Merluyev outside. Shortly afterwards the applicant saw an APC and two grey UAZ cars, including one “tabletka” minivan, driving away. Immediately after the abduction, the applicant went to military commander’s offices in Goyty and Urus-Martan. The on duty officers denied any knowledge of Musa’s detention. Some time later the applicant learnt that another Goyty resident, Mr Anzor Ismailov (see application Ismailova v. Russia (no. 25515/10) above), had been taken away on the same night. The applicant has not seen Mr Musa Merluyev since his abduction on 4 November 2001.

On 15 June 2002 at around 2 p.m. an APC without registration plate arrived at the applicants’ house in Tangi-Chu. A group of ten armed servicemen in helmets and camouflage uniforms broke into the house. Those of the intruders who did not have masks had Slavic features. Speaking unaccented Russian, the servicemen pointed their machineguns at the applicants and took Mr Aslan Yusupov outside. The men took Aslan’s passport, put him in the APC and told his relatives that he would return after an identity check.  In about ten minutes several APCs and a white VAZ-2106 car joined the vehicle. The convoy drove away having passed without a check through the Russian military checkpoint situated next to Martan-Chu and arrived at the premises of the Urus-Martan district military commander’s office. It appears that on the same day the servicemen also visited several neighbouring houses and took away Mr Ramzan Shamsudinov along with his VAZ-2106 car. Immediately after his son’s abduction, the 1st applicant went to the Urus-Martan military commander’s office. A woman at the office gate confirmed that servicemen had arrived there in two APCs and a VAZ with two young men on board. The servicemen took the young men out of the APC and dragged them, with sacks over their heads, to the office building. On 18 June 2002 Mr Yusup Izrailov, the head of the Martan-Chu administration, informed the applicants that Aslan Yusupov and Ramzan Shamsudinov were detained at the district military commander’s office and that they would be released in the evening. However, the two men were not released. On 18 or 19 June 2002 Mr Shirvani Yasayev, the head of the Urus-Martan administration, informed the applicants that five bodies had been found in an abandoned garden on the Urus Martan - Goyty road. One of the bodies was that of Ramzan Shamsudinov. The applicants have not seen Mr Aslan Yusupov since his abduction on 15 June 2002.

In July 2001 Mr Syal-Mirza Murdalov went to visit the Islamovs family in the settlement of Chervlennaya. On 9 July 2001 at around 3 a.m. a large group of masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived in an APC, two URAL lorries and two UAZ cars in the backyard of the  Islamovs’ house. Ten servicemen with torches broke into the house and searched it. The servicemen ordered in unaccented Russian that everybody lied face down on the floor. They tied Syal-Mirza’s, Ayndi’s and Umar’s hands and mouths with duct tape, took their passports and drove them away. Immediately after the applicants ran to the local police station and the military commander’s office. On duty officers told her that they had neither arrested nor detained anyone in their offices. The applicants have not seen Mr Syal-Mirza Murdalov, Ayndi Ismailov and Umar Ismailov since their abduction.

In November 2001 Russian military checkpoints operated around the settlement of Goyty; a military commander’s office and a police station were situated in the village which was under curfew. On 4 November 2001 at around 5 a.m. ten servicemen in masks, helmets and camouflage uniforms broke into the applicant’s home. They spoke unaccented Russian and were carrying torches. The men ordered the family members to lie down on the floor and searched the house. They took Mr Anzor Ismailov outside and put him in one of the two UAZ “tabletka” minivans parked along with an APC in the vicinity of the house. The vehicles drove away in the direction of the military checkpoint situated at the bridge over the Argun channel, in about 600 meters from the applicant’s house. The applicant’s husband followed the vehicles. He spoke to the servicemen manning the checkpoint; they told him that the vehicles with FSB servicemen on board had passed through the checkpoint without a check. Later in the morning the applicant went to the Urus-Martan military commander’s office, where she met Mr Alexandr Merluyev, a Goyty resident. His brother, Mr Musa Merluyev (see application Merluyev v. Russia (no. 36141/10) below), had been abducted on the same night. The applicant has not seen Mr Anzor Ismailov since his abduction on 4 November 2001.

On 28 October 2002 the settlement of Ishkhoy-Yurt was under curfew. At around 3 a.m. groups of seven to ten armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms broke into the applicants’ respective houses situated in the same neighbourhood. Some servicemen were masked whereas the others were wearing metal helmets. The men spoke Russian, some with an accent, and Chechen. They threatened to kill the applicants and their relatives and beat up some of them. The intruders checked the documents of Aslanbek Viskhadzhiyev, Yasin Viskhadzhiyev, Yusup Biysultanov and Sultan Viskhadzhiyev and took them barefoot outside. Aslanbek, Sultan and Yusup were put in one APC and Yasin in another. There were around thirty servicemen in total and a convoy of four vehicles, including two APCs and two UAZ “tabletka” cars. The convoy passed unobstructed through checkpoint no. 74 and drove away in the direction of Grozny or Gerzel. According to the applicants, the abductors’ vehicles belonged to the Gudermes district military commander’s office and their relatives had been detained in a temporary detention facility on the premises of the Gudermes department of the interior (the ROVD). The applicants have not seen their four relatives since their abduction

On 9 March 2006 between 8 and 9 p.m. eight or nine UAZ cars and a grey VAZ “tabletka” vehicle arrived at the applicants’ block of flats in Grozny and cordoned off the neighbourhood. A group of up to eight masked servicemen in camouflage uniforms with portable radios and machineguns, some of which equipped with silencers, broke into the applicants’ flat. Some of the intruders spoke unaccented Russian. The servicemen ordered Mr Mikhail Borchashvili to lie face down on the floor and checked his passport. Then they dragged him outside, put him in one of their cars and drove away. At the relevant time the applicants’ neighbourhood was surrounded by a number of military checkpoints through which the abductors had unobstructed passage. The applicants have not seen Mr Mikhail Borchashvili since his abduction on 9 March 2006.

In August 2003 the applicant, her sisters and her brother, Mr Gilani Aliyev, stayed at their mother’s house in Alkhazurovo. A local military commander’s office was situated nearby. The settlement was under curfew; it was surrounded by military checkpoints. On 11 August 2003 at 3.15 a.m. from two to five APCs, three UAZ cars and several URAL lorries arrived at the house. A group of 15-25 servicemen in camouflage uniforms armed with machineguns broke into the house. Those unmasked had Slavic features and spoke unaccented Russian. The servicemen took Mr Gilani Aliyev away. The applicant saw two APCs driving away in the direction of Goyty and two UAZ cars in the direction of Urus-Martan. Later in the morning Mr Sergey Alferov, the military commander of Alkhazurovo, informed the applicant that Russian servicemen had carried out a special operation during the night and confirmed that Gilani had been detained by the servicemen. On the same day two officers of the Urus Martan district military commander’s office told the applicant that their servicemen had arrested two men in a village situated in 20 minute ride from Urus-Martan. The applicant concluded that one of the arrested men must have been her brother.
The applicant further learnt that on the same night the servicemen had detained another resident of Alkhazurovo, Mr Aslan Khadisov. The applicant has not seen Mr Gilani Aliyev since his abduction on 11 August 2003.

On 4 November 2002 at 6 a.m. a blue GAZEL minivan arrived at the house of Ms. Rezeda Aliyeva in Mesker-Yurt. A group of twelve servicemen in camouflage uniforms armed with machineguns broke into the house. All but two of them were masked; the unmasked men were of Slavic appearance. After searching the house, the servicemen took Mr Apti Dombayev to the vehicle and drove him away. On the same date the applicants’ neighbours saw a white VAZ 2107 car, a UAZ car, and a URAL lorry driving around with the GAZEL minivan. None of the vehicles had registration plates. One of the neighbours managed to follow the cars to the Argun sugar factory. The applicants have not seen Mr Apti Dombayev since his abduction on 4 November 2002.

In the morning of 14 February 2002 Mr Aydrus Saraliyev, Mr Artur Yeliseyev and Mr Bislan Chadakhanov were staying at the house of their friends’, brothers Islam and Movldi Dzhabrailov, in Urus-Martan. A checkpoint was situated nearby and a military commander’s office operated in the town centre. The town was under curfew. At about 5 a.m. a group of men in camouflage uniforms in two APC and three URAL vehicles arrived at the house. The men were of Slavic appearance and spoke unaccented Russian. They fired their machineguns, wounded Mr Islam Dzhabrailov, who was then taken outside, and ordered the three guests to go outside. The intruders put plastic bags over the heads of the three men and the Dzhabrailov brothers. After that the servicemen quickly searched the house, put the five blindfolded men in a URAL lorry and took them to the town centre. The servicemen dropped off the Dzhabrailov brothers at the Urus Martan department of the interior (the ROVD) and then drove away to an unknown destination with the applicants’ relatives. On the same date Molvdi Dzhabrailov was released and his brother Islam was taken by the ROVD officers to the district hospital for treatment. In March 2002 Mr Galyamov and Mr Lapin, officers of the Urus-Martan district prosecutor’s office, returned the passports of the three disappeared men to the applicants. They explained that the passports had been handed over to them at the Urus-Martan ROVD, where the applicants’ sons had been taken after their arrest. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 14 February 2002.

On 8 September 2004 at around 8 a.m. a white VAZ-2107 car with blackened windows and policemen on board arrived at the applicant’s house in Chernorechye. Three more cars, a silver VAZ-21099, a Volga and a UAZ, parked in a neighbouring street. The cars had no registration numbers. Ten to fifteen camouflaged and masked policemen armed with short-barreled machineguns broke into the applicant’s house. They spoke Chechen. The applicant thought that they were conducting a sweeping-up operation. The policemen grabbed Mr Said Adiyev, dragged him into their VAZ-2107 vehicle and rapidly drove away. During her search for Said the applicant met Mr Alikhan Mutsayev, the commander of the 6th division of the oil squadron of the Chechnya Ministry of the Interior. The man admitted that he had participated in the abduction and acknowledged that Said was being detained by his colleagues from the FSB. Said’s father told the investigator about Mr Alikhan Mutsayev but the investigator refused to question him. In the beginning of 2008 Mr Alikhan Mutsayev and his FSB acquaintances had been killed. The applicant submitted that prior to his abduction Mr Said Adiyev had been arrested in a sweeping–up operation but subsequently released as his participation in illegal armed groups had not been proved. The applicant has not seen Mr Said Adiyev since the abduction on 8 September 2004.

On 27 October 2002 Mr Buvaysar Magomadov and other relatives were sleeping in the applicant’s house. At around 6 a.m. two APCs and a GAZEL vehicle pulled over at the house. A group of up to 20 masked armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and bullet proof vests jumped out of the vehicles and stormed into the house. Speaking unaccented Russian, they checked Buvaysar’s and his father’s identity documents. They told the father that they were taking Buvaysar with them for an identity check. The applicant asked them whether they had come from Shali and whether they had been checking other villagers. The servicemen nodded in the affirmative. Then they put Buvaysar in their GAZEL and departed. The applicant’s brother, Ismail, immediately reported the abduction to the head of the local administration. According to servicemen on duty at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Mesker-Yurt, a convoy of the two APCs and the GAZEL passed through and drove in the direction of Shali. On the same day the applicant with her relatives went to the Shali district military commander’s office. An on-duty serviceman told her that an arrested man had been brought in and handed over to the district FSB. Later that day the head of the district FSB told the applicant that Buvaysar would be questioned and then released in 3 days. However, subsequently the officer denied having any knowledge about the events. On 31 October 2002 the relatives learnt that Buvaysar had been taken to Khankala, where the main base of the Russian military in Chechnya was situated. The applicant has not seen Mr Buvaysar Magomadov since his abduction on 27 October 2002.

On 30 June 2002 Mr Aslambek Adiyev, Mr Albert Midayev and Mr Magomed Elmurzayev and their respective families gathered at Mr Albert Midayev’s house in Shali. At 2.05 p.m. a grey UAZ “tabletka” and another UAZ car pulled over at the gate. 7 or 8 servicemen in brand-new camouflage uniforms with pistols, machineguns and shields got out of the cars. All but two were wearing masks. The servicemen opened fire at Mr Aslambek Adiyev’s and shot him in the leg. Then they dragged him into a VAZ car. Then servicemen broke into the house and ordered everyone in unaccented Russian to get down on the floor. They hit those who did not obey. In the meanwhile applicant 6 walked out into the backyard and saw Mr Albert Midayev facing the wall with his hands above his head and a serviceman kicking him in the leg. Shortly thereafter, the servicemen put Mr Albert Midayev and Mr Magomed Elmurzayev in the same VAZ car and drove them down Ivanovskaya Street to the town centre. The VAZ car was followed by a convoy of at least five vehicles, including an APC, a UAZ, a white VAZ car, a white Volga car and an armoured infantry carrier. The applicants unsuccessfully tried to follow the convoy. On 29 August 2002 an officer of the Chechnya FSB told that the intruders belonged to the 34th special military unit based in Argun. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 30 June 2002.

In the morning of 5 November 2002 the Russian federal forces conducted a special operation in the settlement of Novye Atagi. Military checkpoints  surrounded the settlement and blocked free passage through the area. Between 6 and 8 a.m. the applicants were in their homes located at the outskirts of the settlement when they heard military vehicles. Groups of 3 to 30 camouflaged servicemen carrying machine-guns broke into their houses. Some of them were wearing masks and/or helmets. Most of the unmasked men were of Slavic appearance and spoke unaccented Russian. According to the applicants, they would be able to identify some of the servicemen. The servicemen subjected the applicants and Mr. Khamsan Debizov, Mr. Akhmed Kasumov, Mr. Magomed Kasumov, Mr. Adam Eskirkhanov, Mr. Ismail Taysumov to insults and beatings and searched the houses. Then they beat the applicants' five male relatives, tied their hands and put them in APCs. Eleven APCs were seen that day in the settlement; three of them were used for the abduction. Mr Akhmed Kasumov was taken in an APC with the registration no. 304. Servicemen opened gunfire and drove away in the direction of the town centre or the Argun river. The servicemen freely passed through the checkpoints, where as the applicants were not allowed to do so. The applicants subsequently found out that Mr Khamzan Debizov had been held at the Urus-Martan disfrict department of the interior (the ROVD) and Mr Akhmed Kasumov at the Shall ROVD but this information has not been officially confirmed. According to the applicants, the servicemen belonged to the FSB and the special unit of the Privolzhskiy Circuit of the Internal Forces of the Ministry of the Interior (Оперативная бригада Приволжского округа ВВ МВД) and who arrested the applicants' relatives as active members of illegal armed groups. The applicants have not seen Mr. Khamsan Debizov, Mr. Akhmed Kasumov, Mr. Magomed Kasumov, Mr. Adam Eskirkhanov, Mr. Ismail Taysumov since their abduction. It is unclear whether the criminal proceedings are currently pending.

On 6 June 2003 at 2 a.m. around 30 servicemen of Slavic appearance riding 4 APCs broke into the applicants' yard in Koshkeldy. They were armed, used portable radio stations and were wearing green camouflage uniforms. They spoke unaccented Russian. 10 masked servicemen stormed into the house. They tied the hands of applicants and ordered them to lie down on the floor. After searching the house, the servicemen beat up the Eskiyev brothers, collected their and their spouses' passports and took the two men away. Their vehicles freely passed through a checkpoint at the entry of the village. That same night the servicemen broke into the house of Mr Kaim Eskhiyev, a neighbour. They were looking for his son, Mr Danilbek Eskiyev, who had allegedly participated in an illegal armed group and who had left the village two years prior to the events. The applicants heard the servicemen speaking with someone over the radio: "We did not find the guilty one, only two innocent men. What should we do?" "Take them, I never mind". Mr Isa Eskiyev and Mr Usman Eskiyev have gone missing since 6 June 2003.

Mr Mulat Barshigov worked as a deputy head of the Samashki administration. On 14 November 2002 at 2 a.m. 5-6 camouflaged servicemen armed with machine-guns broke into the applicants' house in Samashki. One of them was unmasked and had Slavic features. They spoke unaccented Russian. The servicemen tied the applicants' and Mr Barshigov's limbs, gagged them with duct tape, then they beat the latter unconscious and carried him away. They used APCs and UAZ cars. According to military unit no. 20102, a special operation was carried out that day in the area. The village was under curfew. At least three roadblocks were located in the vicinity. A military commander's office operated in the village.  The applicants have not seen Mr Mulat Barshigov since the abduction. The investigation was pending without attaining any tangible results.

The case concerns the alleged abduction and disappearance on 26 December 2009 in St Petersburg of four of their male relatives following their arrival the previous day from Ingushetia. The applicants last saw their male relatives late in the evening of 25 December 2009 when the men drove away to one of the family’s homes. According to the applicants’ submissions, one of the men called his wife and told her that the car was being followed by a suspicious vehicle, after which telephone contact was cut off. Following the applicants’ complaints to various authorities, a criminal investigation was opened on 25 January 2010.

On 17 April 2000 Luiza Dagayeva, who was pregnant with her third child, travelled to Grozny to check up on her flat. On the same day Sharip Khaysumov, whose flat was located in the same house, and Ramzan Alaudinov, who owned a house on a neighbouring street, also went to check on their property. None of the three returned home after that day. Witnesses saw how they were detained by military servicemen and brought to the nearby Oktyabrskiy District Temporary Department of the Interior (VOVD). Their disappearance was investigated within the same criminal case as the case of Mr A. Sadykov who was detained at the Oktyabrskiy VOVD over the same
period of time and who alleged that he had been subjected to torture there
(see the case of Sadykov v. Russia, no. 41840/02).

At about 2 a.m. on the night of 8 December 2001 a group of armed masked men in camouflage uniforms broke into Magomed Edilov's house in the village of Valerik, Chechnya. They dragged Magomed outside, put him in one of their two UAZ cars and drove away. There has been no news from him since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

At about 2 a.m. on 9 December 2001 a large group of armed masked men in camouflage uniforms broke into the Vadilov family's home in the village of Valerik, Chechnya. They did not introduce themselves and started searching the house, swearing and shouting insults. Two of the armed men took Ali Vadilov by his hands and brought him to the courtyard where they put him in an UAZ car and drove away. He has not been seen since. Ali was disabled since childhood and could not move without assistance. On the same night three other residents of Valerik were abducted by the same group of armed men (see Isayeva and Others v. Russia, 6371/09, and Tovbulatova v. Russia, 26960/06).

At about 2 a.m. on 9 December 2001 a group of armed masked men in camouflage uniforms broke into the home of the Isayev family in the village of Valerik, Chechnya. One of them requested Akhamdi Isayev to give his name and hit him with a rifle butt. They tied his hands behind his back, put him into an UAZ car and went off towards the centre of the village. On the same night two other persons were abducted by the same group of armed men (see Tovbulatova v. Russia, 26960/06, and Vadilova and others v. Russia, 6382/09).

Early in the morning on 9 April 2006 law-enforcement authorities and military conducted a large-scale “sweeping operation” in Sernovodsk, Chechnya. Aslan Israilov was detained but later released. Around noon that day, Aslan and Bulat Chilayev left Sernovodsk by car to go to Grozny. At a junction outside the village, their car was stopped by a group of masked armed men in camouflage uniforms. Witnesses saw how Aslan and Bulat were beaten with rifle butts and had their hands tied behind their backs before being put in a car that drove off towards Grozny. The two men have not been seen since. The investigation into their disappearance has not yielded any results.

At about 6.45 a.m. on 26 February 2001 a group of about 30 armed men in camouflage uniforms broke into the house of Khutsayev's family. The men had arrived in an armoured Ural lorry. They forced Supyan Khutsayev into the lorry and the vehicle drove away, without being stopped at the military checkpoint located on the road between Urus-Martan and Gekhi. The vehicle arrived at the Urus-Martan district military commander’s office. On 27 February 2001 Mariyat Khutsayeva and her daughter waited outside of the military commander’s office for the news about Supyan. At some point the Ural lorry pulled out from the office’s premises; its registration number was covered with mud. On 4 March 2001 Supyan Khutsayev's body with traces of violent death was found next to the Michurina state farm in the Urus-Martan district. The investigation into his killing failed to produce any results.

At the material time Tamara Magomadova and her family, including her son Khizir Gulmutov, lived in the settlement of Kurchaloy, Chechnya. At about 3 a.m. on 30 December 2002 a large group of armed men in camouflage uniforms broke into their house. They spoke unaccented Russian, arrived in an APC and a military Ural vehicle. The abductors ordered Khizir to get into the URAL vehicle and drove away to an unknown destination. On 8 January 2003 a blown-up body was found in about 1, 5 km from the northern outskirts of Kurchaloy, in 2 km from military checkpoint KPPM-95.On 9 January 2003 the applicant’s relatives identified the body as that of Khizir Gulmutov. The investigation into his killing has not been effective.

At about 11 p.m. on 9 January 2004 a group of up to eighteen masked armed men in camouflage uniforms arrived at the Dovletukayev’s house in the settlement of Avtury, Chechnya, in three APCs and two grey UAZ minivans. The men were equipped with portable military radio sets. The group checked identity documents in three other houses in the street. Then the group went to the applicant’s house and checked passports of all of the males present there. The men did not return Aslan Dovletukayev’s passport; they took Aslan from the yard into the street and forced him in one of their vehicles. After that the abductors drove away in the direction of Shali having crossed a military checkpoint on the way. At about 10.20 a.m. on 17 January 2004 Aslan Dovletukayev’s body was found by two servicemen of 34th squadron stationed in Argun, next to the Dzhalka village in the Gudermes district, Chechnya. The investigation into his killing has not been effective.

At about 2 p.m. on 20 January 2001 Islam Tazurkayev and three other men were driving in a VAZ car in Grozny when they were stopped by a group of Russian military servicemen in an APC and a white VAZ-2121 (Niva) car for an identity check. Having checked the documents, the servicemen blindfolded Islam, forced him in the APC and drove away in the direction of the military base in Khankala, the headquarters of the Russian military forces in Chechnya. On 5 March 2001 Islam Tazurkayev’s body with traces of violent death was found in a mass grave in “Zdorovye”, an abandoned holiday village in the Oktyabrskiy district of Grozny, along with bodies of about fifty other persons, including that of Nura Luluyeva (see Luluyev and Others v. Russia, no. 69480/01, § 28, ECHR 2006-XIII (extracts)).
On the night between 7 and 8 September 2003 the applicants’ neighbourhood was cordoned off by the military. At about 3 or 4 a.m. a group of armed men in military uniforms arrived at the first applicant’s house and took away Abubakar Tazurkayev in a white VAZ car. The applicants have not had any news of Abubakar ever since.

At about 1.20 a.m. on 5 December 2004 a group of Russian servicemen burst into the apartment of the Bersanov family in Malgobek, Ingushetia. They arrested Adam Bersanov in front of his mother before driving off in the direction of Magas. Adam has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

On 16 March 2004 Timur Yandiyev stopped by Ingushenergo in Nazran, Ingushetia. Timur stayed in the building between 3.40 and 4.30 p.m. When he came out, two white vehicles entered the courtyard of the building. Six persons dressed in camouflage uniforms and masks got out of the vehicles, caught up with Timur and threw him to the ground. They threw him into one of the cars and left towards Magas, the administrative capital of Ingushetia. Timur has not been seen since.

In the evening on 29 October 2002, a group of servicemen arrived at the temporary residence of the Arsamikov family in a camp for migrants in Karabulak, Ingushetia. The men broke into the family's home and searched all their belongings. They then forced Adam Arsamikov into one of their cars and drove off towards Chechnya. Local police officers managed to follow the cars to a checkpoint where they were told the cars had passed showing a badge authorizing passage. Such badges are usually held by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. However, the FSB department and military units in Chechnya maintain that they never detained Adam who has been missing since.

On 8 May 2001 Robert Musayev arrived in his VAZ-21213 {'Niva') car at the market in Dachu-Borzoy. He was going to visit a relative who lived in the village. Two APCs, one of them with registration number Б503, arrived at the market shortly after and a group of five or six servicemen in military uniforms grabbed Robert Musayev and forced him into one of the APCs. Robert managed to shout out to the bystanders that he had a sister living in the village and that she should be informed about the events. One of servicemen told the crowd that Robert would spend the night at the military commander's office in Chiri-Yurt and the APCs along with Robert's Niva car drove away. Robert has never been seen since. The investigation about this case has not given any results.

At about 3 p.m. on 22 June 2000 Musa Vakhidov, who worked for the Chechnya Ministry of the Interior (the MVD), was at the bus station in the Chemorechye settlement in the Zavodskoy district of Grozny. An APC with hull number 'Zavodskoy ROVD-208' pulled up at the station. A group of Russian-speaking military servicemen in camouflage uniforms and bandanas were in it. Two of them disembarked from the APC and walked up to Musa Vakhidov. Without introducing themselves they checked his passport, and informed their colleagues that Musa' papers were in order. Nonetheless, the man on the top of the APC ordered the two servicemen to detain Musa Vakhidov. Musa managed to shout to a standing nearby Ms F. that he was from the Vakhidov family in Ums-Martan. Then the two servicemen pulled a plastic bag over his head, forced him into the APC and drove away in the direction of Grozny. Musa has gone missing since.  It is unclear whether the investigation into the murder and/or the disappearance of the applicant’s son has been completed.

At about 5 p.m. on 30 April 2001 Magomed Cherkasov and Ayub Istamulov were picking mushrooms in the forest next to Verkhniy Noyber when they were detained by a group of six or seven armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms who had arrived at the forest in an APC. The servicemen subjected the two men to beatings while leading them away. The applicants have not seen their two relatives since their abduction. The investigation into disappearance has not given any results.

At about 2 or 3 p.m. on 9 July 2002 Asian Dzhamalov with his neighbours Mr U.O. and Mr A.A. went to café 'Seda' in Mayakovskogo Street in Grozny. The three men were sitting at their table when a large group of armed military servicemen in two UAZ vehicles and a VAZ car arrived at the café. The servicemen were in camouflage uniforms and masks. They pulled plastic bags over the heads of the three men, forced them in one of the UAZ vehicles and drove away.The applicants have not seen their relative since his abduction. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

At about 3 p.m. on 4 November 2001 Khavazhi Elikhanov with two friends, Mr Sh.S. and Mr A.A., was walking down the street situated next to the crossroads of Soldatskya and 2-ya Polevaya Streets in Urus-Martan, in about fifty metres from the applicant's house. A group of about fifteen to twenty masked armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms pulled over in a URAL lorry and a VAZ-2121 {'Niva') car. They opened gunfire and ordered the residents in unaccented Russian to stay inside. Then they detained the three men, put them in the lorry and took them to the Ums-Martan district military commander's office. Khavazhi has gone missing since.  It is unclear whether the investigation into the murder and/or the disappearance of the applicant’s son has been completed.

In the moming on 3 May 2005 Usman Arzhiyev and his brother Valid Arziyev went to tend sheep in the south-eastern outskirts of Avtury. At about 7 p.m. the flock of sheep retumed home without the shepherds. The applicant and her relatives got worried and went to the pasture to look for the brothers. There they found piece of Usman's clothing and footprints of military boots. Following the prints for about four or five km the applicant's relatives found traces of tracks of an APC and a URAL lorry. Later in the evening the applicant was informed that her sons had been detained by military servicemen stationed on the premises of the state farm 'Avturinksiy". The applicant has not seen her sons since their abduction. The investigation into disappearance has not given any results.

In the moming of 25 December 2000 the federal forces were conducting a special operation in the vicinity of the market in Urus-Martan to arrest a leader of an illegal armed group Mr M. Tsagarayev. At about 11 a.m. the servicemen who had arrived at the market in an APC, a URAL lorry and a VAZ-2121 CNiva'} car of the head of the local administration Ms Sh.Ya., detained Akhmed Gazuyev who was walking to his aunt's house. The servicemen put him in the Niva car and took him to the centre of Urus-Martan. The applicant has not seen her son since his abduction. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

On 26 January 2001 the Russian federal forces from 71 regiment of the Ministry of Defence (the MO) and 46^'^ brigade of the Ministry of the Interior (the MVD) had arrived in Komsomolskaya in armoured personnel carriers ("APC"), the battle infantry vehicles (BMP) and URAL lorries to conduct a special 'sweeping-up' operation. Khamzat Alimkhanov and his brother-in-law Sulim Khatulov were walking to the bus station when they were stopped by servicemen for identity check. Sulim and Khamzat were talking to the servicemen when the head of the village administration Mr K.B. approached them and asked what was going on. The servicemen told him that they were taking Kamzat and Sulim to the operation's headquarters in the north-eastern outskirts of the village for the check. The applicants have not seen their two relatives since their abduction.

At the material time Aldam Yesiyev worked as a driver of a GAZEL taxi minivan on the route between Grozny and Urus-Martan. At about 3 p.m. on 19 September 2002 Aldam Yesiyev was in his minivan at the taxi stand located next to a café on Sovetskaya Street in the centre of Urus-Martan. A group of armed masked men in military uniforms arrived at the stand in two khaki-coloured UAZ vehicles, one of which was a minivan (Тabletka'). They jumped out of the vehicles, grabbed Aldam Yesiyev and forced him into one of their cars. In unaccented Russian they threatened to shoot the bystanders if anyone tried to approach. After that they drove away in the direction of Grozny. Aldam had never been seen since. The investigation about this case has not given any results.

On 7 June 2003 Timerlan Soltakhanov went to Shall with his aunt Ms R.G. to visit his sister Ms T. Akh.. Next to the central market Timerlan and his two female relatives met an acquaintance, Mr Dzh. Abdurzakov. The four of them were talking when a grey UAZ minivan {'tabletka ') pulled over and a group of six or seven armed servicemen of Slavic appearance got out of the vehicle. The men, who were in camouflage uniforms and armed with automatic weapons, opened gunfire. Timerlan Soltakhanov was wounded in the leg and fell. The servicemen put him in their vehicle. According to the applicant, it was her son Timerlan Soltakhanov who had been wounded and arrested by mistake by the authorities on 7 June 2003 instead of Mr Dzh. Abdurzakov, who remained at large. Timerlan had never been seen since. It appears that the criminal proceedings are currently pending.

The applicants in this case are 13 Russian nationals who are natives or residents of the village of Aslanbek-Sheripovo, Shatoy district, the Chechen Republic. The case concerns an air and artillery strike on the applicants’ village by the Russian military on 17 February 2000, which killed 18 of the applicants’ relatives and wounded three of the applicants and several of their relatives. The applicants complain that their right and the right of their deceased and injured relatives was violated under Article 2 (right to life), both by the lethal attack and by the authorities’ failure to conduct an investigation to establish the circumstances of the use of lethal force. Relying on Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair hearing) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy), the applicants further complain that the court proceedings in which their civil claims for compensation were rejected – in a decision eventually upheld in December 2005 – were not fair.

Early in the morning on 20 July 2004, a group of armed men burst into Beslan Arapkhanov's house in the village of Galashki, Ingushetia. They searched the house and dragged Beslan to the court-yard. His wife who had been locked into one of their rooms heard machine-gun fire shortly thereafter. Beslan was later found dead in the courtyard. Zelimkan Arapkhanov, Beslan's cousin, who lived close by heard the shots and went outside. The armed men started to interrogate him and beat him before leaving. The investigation into Beslan's murder has not yielded any results.

On 2 September 2007 Apti Dalakov and his friend I.D. left a computer club in Karabulak, Ingushetia. While they were walking, two Gazel minivans with blackened windows and without licence plates stopped by and a group of men armed with assault rifles and pistols emerged from the vehicles. Two armed men wore plainclothes, while the others wore camouflage uniforms and masks. Without introducing themselves or giving any explanations, they pointed their guns at Apti Dalakov and I.D. and opened fire. Apti Balakov was killed. The applicant complains under Article 2 of the Convention about the killing of his nephew and the national authorities’ failure to carry out an effective investigation into the matter.

On 13 October 2005 a large group of rebel fighters organised a raid in Nalchik, the Republic of Kabardino-Balkariya, targeting a number of buildings associated with the Russian security forces. More than 100 people were reported to have been killed and many others were wounded. On 26 October 2005 Mukhamed Urusov confessed to his involvement in the Nalchik attack. On the same day he was taken to the Organised Crime Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkariya (УБОП МВД КБР) and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. beaten up by three officers. He was subsequently handcuffed to another suspect and left until the following morning... Mukhamed alleged that he was threatened and beaten up by police officers throughout the whole period of pre-trial investigation. He supported his submissions by written statements of other suspects in the Nalchik attack.

As appears from medical documents submitted by the applicant, on 6 September 2012, following his complaints of a severe pain during the urination, pain in the lumbar region, general fatigue and a headache, he was transferred to the prison hospital of correctional colony no. 12 in the Kabardino-Balkariya Republic. The applicant alleges that the detention conditions in the facility are particularly hard on him. He does not receive dietary food and vitamin therapy required to support his health. Furthermore, the daily walks when he has to take stairs and go outside irrespective of weather conditions amount to inhuman treatment. One of such walks led to his fall from the stairs when he lost consciousness from pain and fatigue. The applicant further alleges that he does not receive any medical assistance, including painkillers, although he experiences a severe pain in the back. The applicant complained, among other matters, about the lack of adequate medical assistance in detention.

At about 4 p.m. on 8 October 2002 a group of 15-20 men arrived in the UAZ-459 car with registration number 31-42 ЧИ to the Saidovs' house in Novo-Tsentoroy, Chechnya. The men were armed with automatic weapons and wore masks and camouflage uniforms. Some of them spoke Russian and some spoke Chechen. They checked the identity papers of the family members and examined the amnesty certificate of Ramzan Saidov. Then they locked Tumisha Saidova and her mother in the house, brought Ramzan Saidov into the car and drove away. Tumisha Saidova has had no news of her son since that date.

On 23 February 2000 Shaaman Vagapov was driving his KAMAZ lorry with registration number C059AB from the village of Ilyinskoye to Petropavlovskaya, Chechnya. At 1p.m. he was stopped by the military servicemen at the checkpoint located approximately 1 km from Ilyinskoye. There had been between 30 and 50 servicemen at the checkpoint. They had been armed with automatic weapons. An URAL lorry and an UAZ car had been parked next to the checkpoint. The servicemen brought Shaaman Vagapov and his lorry to the military base in Khankala. Khavani Vagapova has had no news of her husband ever since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

The facts of the case are linked to the application Luluyev and Others v. Russia (no. 69480/01, ECHR 2006 XIII (extracts)) in that Markha Gakayeva, Raisa Gakayeva and Zavalu Tazurkayev were abducted together with Nura Said-Alviyevna Luluyeva. On 3 June 2000, armed masked men on an armoured personnel carrier detained  the three relatives of the applicants and several other people at the Northern market in Grozny. In March 2001, their bodies were discovered among those retrieved from a mass grave in Dachny village, outside Grozny. Russian prosecutors failed to conduct a meaningful investigation. No full forensic examination was conducted on the body, and physical evidence, including clothing and blindfolds, was not saved as material evidence.

In January 2000, when the hostilities began in Grozny, about 30 local residents, including the first applicant, Suleyman Surguyev, Adam Suleymanov and Mirza Elmurzayev, hid in the basement of the school no.50. On 2 February 2000 in the afternoon three infantry battle vehicles arrived at the school building and several armed servicemen wearing camouflage uniforms got out of the vehicles. They ordered everyone to leave the basement, forced the men to stand up against the wall and searched them. Then they brought Suleyman Surguyev, Adam Suleymanov and Mirza Elmurzayev to the infantry battle vehicle with identification number 318. One of the soldiers told the first applicant that the men were being brought to a military unit. Suleman, Adam and Mirsa are missing since.  The investigation failed to produce any results.

On the night of 20 December 2002 a large group of federal servicemen burst into Gelani Kaykharov's house in the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny. They put his wife Natalya Murtazova and their young daughter in the bedroom. They then left the house taking Gelani with them. Gelani has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

At about 7 a.m. on 7 May 2000 four armed men wearing camouflage uniforms
burst into the family home of Beslan Baysultanov in the village of Ken-Yurt, Chechnya. One of the men, the only one not wearing a mask, ordered Beslan Baysultanov and his other family members to hand over their identity cards. Beslan Baysultanov was ordered to follow the soldiers outside and the family was told that Beslan was being "taken to the district military commander's office for a check". After Beslan was led outside, the unmasked man pushed his family back inside the house. Beslan has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results.

Sayd-Salekh Ibragimov studied at the second year of the Oil Institute in Grozny and stayed at his uncle’s place. On 21 October 2009 Sayd-Salekh came home of his uncle Adnan I. in Grozny at about 3 p.m. Soon afterwards he called a taxi and left towards the city centre. A group of armed men arrived to their house almost as soon as Sayd-Salekh had left and demanded from him to tell them where his nephew had gone or to accompany them there. As far as Adlan I. did not know where to go, they left. At about 10 p.m. three servicemen arrived at the house and accompanied Adlan I. in their car to the office of Sherip Demilkhanov, the head of the external guard regiment of the Ministry of the Interior of Chechnya. Twenty minutes later another serviceman accompanied Sayd-Salekh Ibragimov into the room. Adnan I. saw signs of beatings on his nephew’s face. The policemen told them that Sayd-Salekh Ibragimov could save his life by cooperating with the police; otherwise they would kill him in retribution for the death of their colleague. Adnan I. was allowed to talk to his nephew. The latter admitted that he had maintained contacts with the participants of illegal armed groups through Internet and mobile phone and promised that he would cooperate with the police. Soon after midnight Adnan I. was released. The family had no news of Sayd-Salekh Ibragimov after that date.

Early in the morning of 13 October 2005 law enforcement officers in the city of Nalchik were attacked, reportedly by armed insurgents. Around 135 people were killed in the ensuing battle, and dozens of unidentified bodies were taken to the town morgue. Each of the applicants in the case lost a relative during the fighting, and claims that the Russian authorities unlawfully interfered with their right to privacy and family life by refusing to return the bodies to them, instead keeping them in the town morgue under appalling conditions. Although the relatives of the dead appealed to the authorities for the release of the bodies, they were told that the bodies would be released only after the conclusion of criminal investigations opened in connection with the armed attack on Nalchik. Several applicants appealed this decision in the courts, but their applications were rejected as premature.

At about 3 a.m. on 5 August 2009, three armed Chechen men in masks and military camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicant’s home in three VAZ-Priora cars and broke in. The applicant and her relatives thought that the men were police officers from the ROVD. The men dragged Abdul-Yazit Askhabov out of his bed and took him away without giving any explanations. One of them just said: “the FSB” (the Federal Security Service). The abduction happened quickly: it took between three and five minutes. The abductors drove away in the direction of the village of Noviye Atagi; a military checkpoint was located on that road at the material time. Immediately after the abductors had gone, the applicant and her relatives called the ROVD and the head of the Shali district administration and complained about the incident.

On 21 and 22 June 2004 the town of Nazran, Ingushetia, came under attack by a organised group of armed insurgents, which left 78 persons dead and 113 wounded. On 27 June 2004 at around 2 p.m. Vladimir Makhnychev (the applicant) travelled in his personal car VAZ with his two friends to the town of Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. They were stopped by the police at a checkpoint at the outskirt of the village of Nartkala for a routine ID check. The police officers decided to drive Vladimir and his friends in his car to a district department of the interior. After this transfer, the applicant’s car was apparently stolen by the police officials. Upon arrival, Vladimir took part in an interview which lasted without interruption until the evening of that day.The applicant spent the night and slept in the building of the district department of the interior. On  28 June 2004 the interviews continued in office of the head of that department of the interior, this time with personal participation of the head and representatives of a Department of the FSB. During  this series of interviews Vladimir was heavily beaten with a plastic bottle full of water and also threatened with various adverse consequences for his pregnant wife. As a result of this treatment, the applicant made a false confession that he had helped the attack on Nazran by bringing food to the fighters and by carrying the ammunition during the attack. In 2005, Vladimir was convicted to over 15 years imprisonment on the basis of the confessions obtained through torture.

At around 7 p.m. on 19 October 2004, a group of servicemen from Khasavyurt district department of the interior (ROVD) and Gudermes ROVD arrived at the Israilov's house in the settlement of Novye Plany on the border to Chechnya. The servicemen searched the house and detained Yeraly Israilov, his two sons Akhmed and Magomed Israilov and his nephew Rasul Israilov. The four men were brought to Gudermes ROVD in Chechnya and separated for interrogation. Akhmed, Magomed and Rasul were subsequently released on 23 October. Yeraly Israilov was never released and is still missing.

At about 6 a.m. on 24 April 2001 a group of Russian federal servicemen burst into the home of the Avkhadov family in Urus-Martan. They searched the house and apprehended Vakhit Avkhadov. The servicemen put Vakhit Avkhadov in one of their APCs and then drove off in the direction of the centre of Urus-Martan. Vakhit’s family has not seen or heard from him since.

On 5 March 2002 police officers from at the Department of the Interior of the Chechen Republic (hereinafter “the Chechen UVD”) stormed Timur Satabayev's house in Grozny and detained him. Timur was taken to the Operational and Search Bureau no. 2 of the North Caucasus Department of the Ministry of the Interior in the Southern Federal Circuit (hereinafter also “the ORB-2”), where he was severely beaten up. In the following months, he was detained at the Chernokozovo remand prison and ORB-2 and subjected to repeated torture and ill-treatment, including with electric shocks, beatings, cigarette burns and suffocation. At some point he signed a self-incriminating confession. On 2 September 2002 the applicant complained in writing to the Grozny Town Prosecutor about his ill-treatment by officers of ORB-2. The Prosecutor's office refused to open a criminal inquiry into the ill-treatment despite the existence of medical reports and witness statements in support of his complaints. In 2003, Timur was convicted on the basis of the confessions obtained through torture.

The applicant’s son Tamerlan Suleymanov worked as a car mechanic at a car repair station in Kirova Street, Grozny.At about 11.30 a.m. on 9 May 2011 a group of eight armed men in black uniforms arrived at the repair station in two civilian VAZ-217030 cars (both of ‘Lada-Priora’ model), with registration numbers ‘991 AA/05’ and ‘E423EE95’. The men did not introduce themselves. They asked the employees who was Tamerlan. As soon as the applicant’s son identified himself, they punched him in the face unconscious. After that the abductors, who spoke Chechen, put him in one of the vehicles and drove away. In July 2011 the applicant received a confirmation from a trusted source whose identity he could not disclose out of fear for this person’s safety, that his son was detained in this building in Yalkhoy-Mokhk, subjected to ill-treatment and pressurised to confess to membership in illegal armed groups and preparation of a terrorist act. The applicant informed the investigator in charge of the investigation into his son’s abduction about his Tamerlan’s detention in Yalkhoy-Mokhk. On 20 July 2011 the investigator confirmed to the applicant that he was aware of Tamerlan’s detention at this place, but told him that ‘it would be impossible to release Tamerlan through a legal procedure’.

On 30 April 2004 Eldar Orazbayev (the applicant) was arrested in Neftekumsk, the Stavropol Region, on suspicion of unlawful possession of arms and on 2 May 2004 his placement in custody was authorised by a court. Following his arrest the applicant was held in the police ward of the Neftekumskiy Department of the Interior, in the remand prison IZ-20/1 in Grozny and in the police ward of ORB-2 (Operational Search Bureau No. 2) in Grozny. Over the course of his detention Eldar was subjected to torture on a regular basis, including severe beatings, electrocution, and burns from extinguishing cigarettes on his body, and was forced to sign confessions. On 28 April 2006 the Supreme Court of the Republic of Chechnya convicted Eldar based in the large part on the applicant’s statements obtained under torture. On 16 January 2007 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the conviction on appeal. The appellate court noted, among other  things, that the applicant’s allegations that he had been ill-treated with a view to confessing to the crimes imputed to him were not supported by the materials of the case-file and that the information contained in his pre-trial statements was confirmed by other pieces of evidence.

Between 7 and 8 a.m. on 1 July 2004 armed men broke into the apartment of Ayub Temersultanov in Grozny. They pushed the wife of Ayub to a corner, searched the flat and took outside Ayub Temersultanov. He was loaded into UAZ vehicle which was the last in the convoy of six vehicles including a “Volga”, a “Niva”, a “Gazel” and three UAZ vehicles. The convoy drove away in the direction of the west of Grozny. There have been no news of Ayub Temersultanov since the day of his apprehension. An official investigation into their case was opened but it has not produced any results.

Abuyazid Shidayev disappeared after having been detained on 25 October 2002 by servicemen near the checkpoint of the federal forces at the Sunzha river, located at an about fifteen minutes walking distance from the applicants’ house in Grozny. The applicants have had no news of their missing relative thereafter. They complained about the abduction to law enforcement bodies and an official investigation was instituted and has been pending for several years without attaining any tangible results.

On the night of 22 February 2003 a group of Russian federal servicemen, arriving on several APCs (armoured personnel carrier), apprehended Ayub Nalbiyev in his home in the village of Dachu-Borzoy. Later that night, Badrudin Abazov and Ramzan Tepsayev were similarly taken from their homes in the village by Russian federal servicemen. Ayub, Badrudin and Ramzan have been missing since.

On 23 October 2002 at about 2 a.m. a large group of Russian servicemen burst into a house in Grozny where the Barshov family was sleeping. The men searched the house before violently apprehending Anzor and Sulumbek Barshow. They tied up the other family members and covered their mouths with adhesive tape before leaving. The family has had no news of Anzor and Sulumbek since.

At about 10 a.m. on 10 March 2002 a large group of armed Russian military servicemen conducted a sweeping-up operation in Dzerzhinskogo Street in Grozny. They arrived in APCs and military Ural cars, went into the houses and checked identity documents. At the Avtayev's house, they apprehended Apti Avtayev and drove away with him in an unknown direction. He has not been seen since. The criminal investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

On 11 April 2003 police officers from ORB-2 and the Staropromyslovskiy ROVD stormed Timur Tangiyev's house in Grozny, threatened to burn his family alive and detained him. The police officers started to extinguish cigarettes and matches on his body as soon as they got into the police car. Timur was taken to the Staropromyslovskiy ROVD where he was severely beaten up. In the following months, he was detained at the Staropromyslovskiy IVS and ORB-2 and subjected to repeated torture and ill-treatment, including with electric shocks, beatings, cigarette burns and suffocation. At some point he signed a self-incriminating confession. The Prosecutor's office refused to open a criminal inquiry into the ill-treatment despite the existence of medical reports and witness statements in support of his complaints. In 2005, Timur was convicted to over twenty-three years imprisonment on the basis of the confessions obtained through torture.

Оn 4 April 2007 at approximately 7 p.m. the applicant was arrested on suspicion of having participated in abduction of two soldiers of the Russian federal forces M. and P. According to the arrest record, the applicant was arrested on 5 April 2007 at 10:40 a.m. On 21 July 2008 the applicant’s wife complained to the prosecutor’s office that her husband’s arrest conducted on 4 April 2007 had not been recorded but to no effect. Besides, the applicant  was unable to confront the two witnesses testifying against him/ He also alleged that he was convicted in the absence of any evidence.

Ruslanbek Vakhayev was traveling in his friend’s car on 5 October 2001 when they were stopped at the “Roshnya” checkpoint near Urus-Martan  for an identity check. The servicemen said they were detaining the driver, ordered them out of the car, and began beating the driver. Ruslanbek tried to intervene but the servicemen began beating him as well. The passage through the checkpoint was closed and the servicemen forced the two men into an APC which drove off in the direction of Urus-Martan town center. The applicant has had no news of her son since. Despite several orders by supervising prosecutors to remedy shortcomings in the investigation and a decision from the town court finding the investigators negligent, the investigation made no progress.

After midnight on 4 July 2004 a group of Russian federal servicemen, arriving on three APCs (armoured personnel carrier) and a UAZ vehicle, apprehended Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev in the Ilayevs' house in the village of Assinovskaya, Chechnya. None of the four men have been seen since. An official criminal investigation was initiated by the Achkhoy-Martan inter-district prosecutor's office but the investigation into their disappearances have not produced any results.

The case concerns the disappearance of Ramazan Umarov, who was arrested along with two other men who were subsequently charged with illegal possession of firearms. Ramazan had been staying with the two men in their flat in Makhachkala to avoid harassment by the local authorities in Kirov, Dagestan, who had been threatening to put Ramazan behind bars. The applicants received information that their son was being held in Gudermes, Chechnya, but soon all trace of him was lost. The investigation was repeatedly suspended for a failure to identify the perpetrators.

In the afternoon on 14 July 2006 Vidzha Umayev, Timur Mezhidov and a female family member were stopped at the checkpoint of the federal forces at the Shatoy village. A group of Chechen servicemen, apparently belonging to the battalion Vostok, stood by and watched when Russian servicemen checked their documents and allowed the car to pass. Shortly thereafter the car was stopped in the vicinity of the village of Yarash-Mardy by three Chechen servicemen who had been at the Shatoy check-point. The servicemen ordered everybody out of the car, then put Vidzha and Timur in the backseat and drove away leaving their female relative behind. Vidzha and Timur have not been seen since.

On 8 April 2004 at about 1.30 p.m. two military aircrafts approached the village of Rigakhoy, Chechnya, and started bombing it. The attack lasted for twenty to thirty minutes. An hour later two other military aircrafts bombed the outskirts of the village. Imar-Ali Dumayev heard the explosions and rushed back to his house. On arrival he found his house completely demolished. He found the dead bodies of his wife, Maydat Tsintsayeva, and the five youngest of their six children, Zharadat Damayeva, Dzhaneta Damayeva, Umar-Khadzhi Damayev, Zura Damayeva and Zara Damayeva. A fragment of a bomb with a number was found inside the ruins of the house. The investigations into the deaths has not produced any results.

The case concerned the abduction on 8 September 2009 of applicant's husband, SirazhudinShafiyev, by a group of men when he was driving back home from dropping off his children at the kindergarten in Derbent. A number of local residents witnessed the men blocking his car in the road and, after hitting his head with a bludgeon, jumping in the car and driving off with him. He has not been seen since. Theinvestigation into his disappearance, still in progress, has so far failed to identify those responsible.

At about 5 p.m. on 5 January 2001 a convoy of 7001th motorised infantry battalion was moving through the town of Argun in Chechnya. About half an hour later, close to the corner of Gudermesskaya Street and Stepnoy Lane, the convoy exchanged heavy fire with unidentified persons. Asradiy Estamirov who happened to be at the corner was wounded in the head and subsequently died. Although over 8 years has passed since the killing, the servicemen who served at the infantry battalion, military column no. 7001, that day have yet to be identified and questioned.

In 2004 Stanislav Dmitriyevskiy who was also the chief editor of a regional monthly newspaper Pravo-Zashchita (Protection of Rights), reprinted two documents from the “Chechenpress” Internet site. The documents were entitled respectively “Address by Akhmed Zakayev, Vice Prime Minister of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, to the Russian People” («Обращение вице-премьера правительства Чеченской Республики Ичкерия Ахмеда Закаева к российскому народу»), and “Address by Maskhadov, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, to the European Parliament” («Обращение Президента Чеченской Республики Ичкерия Масхадова к Европарламенту»). The authors blamed the Russian authorities for the conflict in the Chechen Republic and criticised them harshly. On 11 January 2005 the prosecutor’s office of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region (“the regional prosecutor’s office”) instituted criminal proceedings under Article 280 (2) of the Russian Criminal Code (public calls to extremist activity through the mass-media) on the basis of a report by their office that the two articles contained public calls to extremist action.

Khozh-Akhmed Akhmadov worked as a police officer in the police patrolling unit of the Chechnya MVD. At about 11.30 p.m. on 19 November 2004 Khozh-Akhmed and his colleague were driving their car in the Leninskiy district of Grozny. They were eventually stopped by a large group of servicemen from the OMON (special task unit) of the Chechnya MVD. In the following, the OMON servicemen opened gunfire and Khozh-Akhmed received a number of gunshot wounds. He was taken to Grozny town hospital where he died on 21 November 2004. No one has been held accountable for his killing.

At about 5 a.m. on 7 November 2001 five Russian servicemen broke into the house in the village of Serzhen-Yurt where Aset Yakhyayeva and Milana Betilgiriyeva were staying with five other women. The intruders ordered the five women to stay on the coach in one of the rooms and stay quiet. The women heard how the servicemen requested Aset's and Milana's passports and shouted that they had found a gun. When the women dared to exit the room where they were sitting, Aset and Milana were nowhere to be found. They have been missing since.

On 9 January 2000 D. Inderbiyeva went to visit her family in Grozny and found her mother in a state of shock. In the basement, she discovered the two burnt corpses of her sisters, Shema and Shamani Inderbiyeva. They had both been killed by Russian military servicemen who subsequently had set the corpses on fire.

The applicant and his acquaintance I. were arrested in the refugee camp near the town of Nazran in the Republic of Ingushetiya on 23 June 2004. Thereafter the authorities brought the applicant and I. to the 6th Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Ingushetiya. The police officers repeatedly and continuously tortured both the applicant and I., demanding them to confess to their involvement in the recent attack on Nazran. The applicant complains under Article 3 of the Convention that he was heavily and continuously beaten by the policemen following his arrest on 23 June 2004.

The applicant was arrested shortly after the events of 21 and 22 June 2004 in Nazran. The authorities interviewed the applicant, having forced him to confess by heavily and continuously beating him. According to the applicant, his legal aid lawyer Kh. appointed by the investigation acted against him. The applicant complained under Article 3 of the Convention that he had been ill-treated and coerced into giving false self-incriminating evidence.

On 2 August 2004 at around 2 p.m. the applicant was arrested at his place of work, an industrial warehouse of a private company, in the town of Magas of the Republic of Ingushetiya. The applicant was moved to an unidentified location in a building without windows, presumably in a basement. He was requested to explain where he had been in the night of 21 and 22 June 2004. The applicant explained that he had been at his workplace.Thereafter he was severely beaten with rubber truncheons in the area of his liver, kidneys and on his head. The applicant was also subjected to asphyxiation with a plastic bag and ill-treatment with an application of electrical discharges. Relying on Article 3 of the Convention, the applicant complained about multiple episodes of torture and coercion by the State agents.

On 27 June 2004 the applicant was stopped by the police at a checkpoint at the outskirt of the village of Nartkala for a routine ID check. The police officers decided to drive the applicant to a district department of the interior. In the morning of 29 June 2004 the applicant was transported to the building of the Republican Department of the FSB in the town of Magas in the Republic of Ingushetiya. There three officers, two wearing masks and one bareheaded, aged around 50 years old and wearing white short beard, tortured the applicant with electricity. As a result, the applicant confessed in the active participation in the attack on Nazran. The applicant complained under Article 3 of the Convention that he had been seriously ill-treated on multiple occasions by various investigative authorities, which forced him to give self-incriminating evidence.

In October 2001 servicemen of the federal forces were stationed in the outskirts of Starye Atagi. They searched the highway for mines using several IBVs (infantry battle vehicle). At about 7.30 p.m. on 23 October 2001 two villagers who were out in their yard noted two of the IBVs and other vehicles on the opposite side of the road. Shortly thereafter, the villagers witnessed how the servicemen at the highway opened fire at an approaching private car. The shooting continued for about five to ten minutes. The servicemen then started their vehicles, towed one of the IBVs and left. Movsar Khamzatov was later found inside the private car but died from his injuries on the way to hospital.

At about 6 p.m. on 26 August 2001 a blue UAZ vehicle arrived at the house of the Edilov family in the village of Goyty and a group of military servicemen got off. Some servicemen rushed into the house and shortly thereafter led out Abdula Edilov in front of the neighbors. They put Abdula in the car and drove to the nearby checkpoint of the Russian federal forces. The car stopped at the checkpoint for a while and then continued towards Grozny. Abdula´s family has had no news from him since.

At the material time the town of Urus-Martan was under curfew; it was surrounded by military checkpoints. A number of law-enforcement agencies, including the military commander’s office, were operating in the settlement. At about 7 a.m. on 10 June 2002 a group of ten to fifteen armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and masks arrived at the applicant’s house in a khaki-coloured UAZ minivan with registration plate which contained numbers ‘23-75’. The intruders, who spoke unaccented Russian, took the applicant’s husband Magomed outside and put him in the minivan saying that they were taking him to the military commander’s office. Then the servicemen drove away in the northern direction. The applicant has not seen her husband since his abduction on 10 June 2002.

At about 3 a.m. on 6 January 2004 a group of about fifteen camouflaged and masked servicemen arrived at the Baskhanov's house in two armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and took away the applicant’s husband. The applicant has not seen Mr Ruslan Baskhanov ever since.

On 13 August 2003 Said-Emin Sambiyev and Mr V. M., both working at the Security Service of the Chechen President, were riding a taxi to the village of Makhety. Their taxi was stopped in the village of Tevzani at the checkpoint manned by military unit no. 28337-A. Both men were taken to the location of 45th regiment of the Airborne Forces in the village of Khatuni. On 25 August 2003 Mr V. M. was released. He described how he and Said-Emin had been detained in two separate pits not far from each other and that Said-Emin had been severely beaten. Said-Emin was never released and remains missing. The investigation into his detention and disappearance has not yielded any results.

On 10 June 1996 at around midnight an APC accompanied by a convoy of military vehicles arrived in Grozhy, Chechnya. A large number of masked and camouflaged servicemen armed with machineguns got out of the vehicles, cordoned off the area and broke into Mr Utsmiyev’s flat. The servicemen spoke unaccented Russian. They led Isa Utsmiyev, Larisa Ansarova and Angela Ansarova outside, put them in the APC and drove away. On the following days the first applicant unsuccessfully complained about the abduction to a local military commander’s office and other law-enforcement agencies. The applicants have not seen their three relatives since their abduction on 10 June 1996.

On 15 July 2002 at around 2 a.m. a group of masked and camouflaged men armed with machineguns broke into the applicant’s house in Sernovodsk, and took Mr Shadit Magomayev away. The intruders used four UAZ vehciles, two VAZ cars and a GAZ-24 lorry. According to witnesses, the vehicles departed in the direction of the Znamenskoye settlement. A paper pass assigned to UAZ-3962 with the registration number ‘C XX 95 rus’ was found on the crime scene afterwards. The document provided unhindered passage through checkpoints and was signed by a local military commander. Five other men, Mr A. Tazuyev, Mr A. Simonenko, Mr A. Israilov, Mr Kh. Gubashev and Mr M. Gazaliyev, were abducted from neighbouring houses on the same night. Mr Gazaliyev was subsequently released. The applicant has not seen Mr Shadit Magomayev since his abduction on 15 July 2002.

On 27 July 2004 at around 3 or 4 a.m. a group of Russian masked and camouflaged servicemen armed with machineguns arrived at Andarbek Bugayev’s house and broke in. They asked about firearms and drugs in unaccented Russian and searched the premises. Then they put Andarbek in one of their two UAZ vehicles and drove away. Later in the morning Andarbek’s relatives found his passport on the floor. The same night the servicemen broke into another house in the area. A witness stated that they had introduced themselves as patrol officers conducting an identity check. The applicants have had no news of Andarbek Bugayev since his abduction on 27 July 2004.

During the first counter-terrorist campaign in Chechnya, Elbek Tashukhadzhiyev was working as a driver of a URAL petrol tanker lorry. On 9 February 1996 he was driving his lorry on the outskirt of Berkat-Yurt, Chechnya. Next to the village, in the vicinity of the Russian military checkpoint, he was stopped by a group of military intelligence officers under the command of Major Alexander Zavgorodniy. The group belonged to military unit no. 74614 of 205th brigade of the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. After that Elbek disappeared. It is unclear whether the investigation into the murder and/or the disappearance of the applicant’s son has been completed.

On 05/11/2003 the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkariya found in the applicants’ favour against various State bodies. Mr Tkhyegepso and Ms Afaunova were awarded compensation for non-pecuniary damage caused by unlawful actions of a State body. The applicants took various steps to obtain execution of the judgments. However, the judgments remain unenforced to date.

On the morning of 2 October 2004, an OMON officer arrived at the applicant’s house and asked her son to go with him in order to give testimony that he was not involved in any terrorist activities. Timur was under investigation at the time and on 7 October was due to appear for an interrogation, but planned to deny the charges. Timur left with the OMON officer. Subsequently, witnesses reported seeing Timur and the OMON officer arrive at a crossroads surrounded by a convoy of APCs and a large group of servicemen. After checking their identity cards, the servicemen began beating Timur and then shot him in the thigh and the shoulder before dragging him into one of the APCs and driving off. He has not been seen since.  The applicant consistently appealed to the authorities to open an investigation into her son’s disappearance, but a separate criminal case into his abduction was never opened.

On 9 October 2001 the Russian federal forces carried out a sweeping-up operation in the settlement of Alkhazurovo. At around 8 p.m. a group of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms broke into the applicant’s family house. They introduced themselves as servicemen from the military commander’s office and took away the applicant’s brother-in-law Mr Salamu Shalayev. On the following morning another Alkhazurovo resident, Mr Kh. Sugaipov, was arrested at home by the same servicemen. The applicant claimed that the servicemen had brought both the men to the former cattle farm on the outskirts of Alkhazurovo, where the military units were stationed. The applicant has not seen Mr Salamu Shalayev since his abduction on 9 October 2001.

At about 6 p.m. on 1 August 2003 eleven years old Mamed Bagalayev was playing with his siblings in the yard outside their house in Shali when a group of military servicemen arrived on an APC and a GAZ-53 lorry. The servicemen got out of the vehicles and opened gunfire at the buildings around. It appeared that they were conducting a special operation. The children ran to take shelter in a hut in the yard. Inside the hut, Mamed noticed that he was bleeding and fell unconscious. The servicemen walked into the hut and searched it but refused to help Mamed. When the shooting stopped about an hour later Mamed had already died from his wounds.

At approximately 8.30 a.m. on 20 July 2004 a group of about thirty armed servicemen arrived at a house in the village of Barsuki, Ingushetia. They searched the house and detained the two brothers Bekhan and Bashir Velkhiyev. Bekhan and Bashir were taken to the the Organised Crime Unit at the Ministry of the Interior of Ingushetia in Nazran. They were brought to an interrogation room where several officers started beating them. Eventually, they were separated and taken to different rooms. The officers continued beating Bekhan and subjected him to electric shocks. On the following day, Bekhan was released and told that his brother Bashir had died. A forensic report stated that Bashir had multiple injuries caused by hard blunt objects. The injuries had eventually caused a cardiovascular collapse. On 28 March 2007 the Nazran District Court acquitted an officer of the Organised Crime Unit at the Ministry of the Interior of Ingushetia who had served on 20 July 2004 from all charges relating to the ill-treatment of the brothers.

On 13 July 2003 the son of applicant Vasiliy Koshkarov  and other officers from the military unit of federal forces in Chechnya had been sent to mow grass in a field. Maps dating back to 1999 indicated that it was a minefield and there were warning boards which said that the field was mined. No mines had been however detected by a mine detector. In the evening a mine had exploded killing the applicant’s son and wounding two officers. On 11 September 2003 the applicant’s son’s body was released to his family. On 12 September 2003 he was buried. In November 2003 Vasiliy Koshkarov  complained to the military prosecutor’s office about the belated notification of his son’s death and belated release of the body. He further asked the prosecutor to clarify the circumstances around his son’s death. By letters of 15 June 2005 and 9 August 2007 the prosecutor’s office informed the applicant that the investigation was pending without attaining any tangible results.

In the evening of 9 May 2004 a group of armed men in two UAZ vehicles arrived at the Isayevs' home in the village of Goy-Chu. The servicemen searched the house, handcuffed Zelimkhan Isayev and took him with them. Zelimkhan was placed in the detention facility of the ROVD. A day later his relatives were told that he was in poor health. On 13 May Zelimkhan told his brothers that the servicemen had beaten him and used electrical current and cigarrettes to obtain a confession. On 16 May he was taken to a hospital in Nazran where he died shortly after his arrival. His death was caused by acute renal insufficiency, pulmonary oedema as well as by blunt injuries of the abdomen and chest. A criminal investigation was opened but concluded that there were no grounds for prosecution of the FSB servicemen.

Between 11 a.m. And 12 p.m. on 4 December 1999 Russian federal forces subjected the area around the village of Martan-Chu, Chechnya to shelling launched by rocket systems stationed 10 km away from the village. Ibragim Nakayev was standing in a friend's yard when a projectile landed on a car parked next to him. Ibragim recieved numerous splinter wounds and had to undergo several rounds of medical treatment. Despite his request to open a criminal investigation, it is unclear whether an investigation was ever instituted.

In the afternoon of 9 January 2002 Isa Aygumov and several neighbors were sawing firewood in the Aygumov family's yard in the village of Avtury. The village was at this time under full control of the Russian federal forces. At about 4 pm. two UAZ vehicles arrived at the Aygumov’s gate. A large number of servicemen got out and ran into the yard where they separated into smaller groups. Some searched the house while others detained Isa. They then put Isa in one of the vehicles before driving off towards Shali. Isa has not been seen since.

In the afternoon of 24 March 2001 Adam Makharbiyev and his two cousins I.M. and L.M. drove from the village of Chernorechye to Gekhi. They were stopped at a checkpoint manned by OMON officers from Yaroslavl. The servicemen detained all three men. The cousins were subsequently taken to the district military commander’s office in Urus-Martan where they were separated. L.M. was released on the following day and I.M. was released a day later. The district military commander later confirmed that Adam had been detained but Adam was never released and is still missing.

The applicants complain under Articles 3, 5, 8 and 13 of the Convention.

On 23 February 2006 Salambek Movsayev went to Chechen-Aul with his wife and son to visit a relative. Chechen-Aul at this time remained under full control of the Russian federal forces. At about 2 p.m. the family left for Grozny when their car was stopped by two servicemen on Ordzhonikidze Street. The men dragged Salambek out of his car while another seven or eight servicemen emerged from two cars parked nearby. Salambek was forced into one of the cars. Both cars subsequently drove off in the direction of Grozny. Salambek has been missing since.

In the beginning of April 2000, the village of Shaami-Yurt came under bombardment and several villagers, including Valid Gerasiyev, took shelter in a basement. On 5 April 2000 federal forces started a special “sweeping” operation in the village. The servicemen ordered all persons from the basement to come outside to conduct an identity check. General Shamanov, who was in command of the operation, was present during the identity checks. The servicemen subsequently put Valid in a minibus and drove away. There has been no news of Valid since. Three other residents of Shaami-Yurt were also apprehended that day. One of them were later found killed, the other two are still missing.

At about 11.45 p.m. on 27 March 2004 a group of Russian servicemen arrived at the house of the Kudayev family in Grozny. The servicemen seized Magomed-Emi Kudayev and placed him in one of their cars before driving away towards Khankala. Magomed-Emi has not been seen since. His family later heard from different sources that he had been detained by servicemen from the battalion Vostok under the command of Mr. S. Ya. The official investigation however never produced any tangible results.

At about 4 a.m. on 22 November 2002 a group of Russian military servicemen burst into the Kasumov family's home in Mesker-Yurt. They violently searched the houses and threatened several family members at gunpoint before leaving with Abdul Kasumov. Abdul has not been seen or heard from since.

On 10 March 2003 at 2 a.m. a group of Russian servicemen burst into the Maayev family's home in Urus-Martan. They threatened Isa Maayev's parents, then apprehended Isa and left taking him with them. Isa is missing since.

At about noon on 20 April 2005 Ruslanbek Alikhadzhiyev’s car was stopped at the checkpoint of the Russian federal forces in the vicinity of the village of Mesker-Yurt. Eyewitnesses saw how he was subsequently detained by three servicemen and taken inside the checkpoint which was surrounded by blocks. Ruslanbek is missing since.

The facts of the case are connected to Kerimova and Others v. Russia, no. 17170/04; 20792/04; 22448/04; 23360/04; 5681/05; 5684/05, decided on 3 May 2011.

Early in the morning on 6 January 2003 a group of policemen arrested Visadi Shokkarov in the Satsita camp located in the Sunzhenskiy District, Ingushetia. Later the same day his family went to the department of the interior (the ROVD) to ask for him. There two men in civilian clothes approached Visadi's brother Visita Shokkarov and led him through the gates of the ROVD. Visita has been missing since. Visadi was charged with murder and his arrest prolonged. According to the authorities, Visadi died in a car crash on 2 February 2003. His body had been burned and carbonised after his death. His family was informed about his death nine days later. They visited the morgue where they examined the corpse and concluded that it was not Visadi. The investigations into the faiths of Visadi and Visita Shokkarov has not produced any results.

On 7 June 2006, Khamzat Tushayev was ordered to report to the prosecutor's office of the Leninskiy District in Grozny on the following day. On 8 June 2006 Khamzat and his wife went to the complex of government buildings in Grozny, the prosecutor's office being situated within its guarded grounds. At the check point an on-duty officer gave Khamzat a pass and let him in. His wife stayed outside to wait for him. Two hours later, she asked the on-duty officer to call the prosecutor's office. After a telephone conversation the officer told her that Khamzat had not entered the premises of the prosecutor's office. Khamzat has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

The applicants are 27 former residents of Kogi, Chechnya, including the relatives of three women and two children who were killed during an air strike conducted in by Russian military forces in the town on 12 September 1999. Two military planes indiscriminately dropped over seventy bombs on the village, which also destroyed many houses. The Court found that the government failed in its duty to safeguard the lives of the civilians in Kogi and that the force employed was grossly disproportionate to the perceived threat from rebel fighters.

At about 3.30 a.m. on 19 November 2002 a large group of federal servicemen burst
into Ayub Murtazov's house in the village of Naurskaya. They put his wife and two young sons in one of the rooms and tied them up with adhesive tape. They then left the house taking Ayub with them. Ayub has been missing since. The family's neighbours saw several armoured personnel carriers in the village that night. However, the investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results.

On the night of 23 October 1998, a group of armed men apprehended Suleyman Tsechoyev in the settlement of Sagopshi, Ingushetia. The deputy prosecutor of Malgobek later confirmed that he was detained by state authorities and demanded 6,000 USD for his release. The family did not pay. When relatives visited him in pre-trial detention in Nalchik in March and July 1999, Suleyman stated that he had been subjected to ill-treatment. On 23 August 1999, four police officers from Malgobek produced documents requesting his transfer from Nalchik to Malgobek. Suleyman was handed over to them. On 24 August 1999, Suleyman's body was found with firearm wounds to the head. The investigation into his murder has not produced any results.

On 2 October 1999, Russian military planes attacked Urus-Martan, where the Russian
authorities had previously launched a counter-terrorism operation. One of the bombs hit
the block of flats in which Roza Kerimova lived with her family, killing her brother and
husband and wounding her and her three minor children. On 19 October 1999, the town
again came under aerial attack by Russian federal forces. The bombing resulted in the
deaths of six people and injuries to 16 people, including three of the applicants, and in
the destruction or damage of 40 houses, including those inhabited by 18 of the applicants in the case. In April 2000, the military prosecutor refused to open criminal proceedings in connection with the attacks of 2 and 19 October 1999, but in July 2000 the prosecutor’s office of the Chechen Republic instituted criminal proceedings. According to the Russian Government’s submissions, the bombing had been conducted by an “unidentified plane” and those responsible had not been established. The criminal case was suspended and reopened on a number of occasions, and the proceedings appear to be pending.

At about 2.30 a.m. on 18 March 2004 a group of armed men burst into the Khambulatov's house in the village of Saveliyevskaya. They searched the house and awakened Timur Khambulatov. He was handcuffed and put in a vehicle that drove away.  In the morning of 19 March 2004 Timur was found dead in a cell of the department of the interior of the Naurskiy District (“the Naurskiy ROVD”). His body bore numerous signs of injuries. The investigation into his arrest and death has not produced any results.

In the morning of 27 December 2002 Musa Temergeriyev was at the train station in Grozny. During his absence around twenty Russian servicemen in two armoured personnel carriers (APCs) arrived at his house and secured the entry to the courtyard; one of them tried to plant a grenade in the family's refrigerator. When Musa came home,  the servicemen checked his passport and conducted a search of the house, finding nothing. They then put Musa in one of the APCs and drove to the premises of military unit no. 3186 at the east end of Grozny. The domestic investigation established the identity of  several of the officers deployed in the military detachment that was likely involved in Musa's abduction, but the investigation failed to produce any results. Musa and Lema have not been seen since their abductions.

In the early morning of 21 August 2002 a group of Russian servicemen broke into the house where Lema Khakiyev was sleeping. Lema was ordered to follow them, half-dressed and without shoes or identity documents, and according to witnesses, was taken away in the direction of the district military commander’s office. As the servicemen departed, one of them told Lema's wife that they were from the Oktyabrskiy ROVD and that Lema would be taken there. Later the applicants observed one of the military vehicles that had been used during Lema's abduction leaving the premises of the district military commander's office. The investigation into Lema's disappearance yielded no results.

At about 2 a.m. on the night between 17 and 18 November 2002 a group of masked and armed men in camouflage uniforms, arriving on military vehicles, burst into the home of the Dudarov family in the village of Ken-Yurt. They detained Magomed Dudarov, put him in one of the vehicles and drove off. Magomed has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

Between 14 and 18 February 2002 the Russian federal military carried out a special "sweeping" operation in the village of Starye Atagi. In the morning on 14 February, the three brothers Movsar, Movladi and Vakha Nasukhanov were detained in their home in Starye Atagi by federal military servicemen. On the following day, their parents learned that the Russian military had established a fïltration point near a poultry-house and a mill of Starye Atagi. Some 500 persons were kept at the fïltration point. Eventually, the military started to release the  detainees and Vakha returned home on 16 February. On 20 February, the burned remains of Movsar and Movladi were found in the village of Mesker-Yurt. The investigation into their killing has not been effective.

In the morning of 23 October 2003 at about 7 a.m. five grey UAZ vehicles arrived at the home of the Gisayev family. Around twenty or thirty masked and armed men burst inside. Several servicemen searched the house. Having examined Akhmed Gisayev's papers, they put him in one of the UAZ vehicles and drove away. After ten or fifteen minutes the vehicle stopped and Gisayev was ordered out of the vehicle. He was blindfolded and handcuffed and brought to a room where he was interrogated. When he denied involvement in any illegal activities the men beat him and attached electric wires to his hand and foot; from then on they repeatedly passed electric current through his body. They also burned him with cigarettes, beat and insulted him. The interrogations, beating, insults and electrical shocks continued, in three different locations, until 8 November when he was released after a relative paid for his release. Gisayev has since experienced major health problems. The investigation into his abduction and detention has not been efficient, it is to date unclear whether the investigation has been completed.

In the afternoon of 17 October 2000 Ali Udayev and Ramzan Yusupov were walking home from school in the outskirts of Urus-Martan. The boys were seen walking down the road between the local cemetery and a field. Shortly thereafter, Ramzan's brother saw an explosion near the cemetery. Local residents heard the sound of a flying projectile. Other witnesses saw and heard a tank of the Russian military launch a projectile. Ali's and Ramzan's dead bodies were found on the place of the explosion. The investigation into their deaths has not produced any results.

Khamid Mukayev was abducted by Russian servicemen from his family home in Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya, during an unacknowledged security operation in September 2004. The investigation into Khamid’s disappearance produced no results.

Between 18 and 19 September 2004 a large-scale sweeping operation was carried out in the village of Valerik, Chechnya. The operation was carried out by servicemen subordinated to Ramzan Kadyrov and servicemen of Russian federal troops. At 2 a.m. on 19 September 2004 around twenty armed servicemen arrived at the Tumayev's home in the village of Valerik. They apprehended Shamkhan Tumayev, put him in an UAZ vehicle and drove away. Shamkhan has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

In the moming of 30 December 2002 Ruslan Taymuskhanov, his mother and Mr. Z were driving home. At the military checkpoint near the village of Starye Atagi, where a special «sweeping» operation was carried out by federal forces, the car was stopped by federal servicemen. Ruslan, his mother and Mr. Z were ordered to step out of their car and were put into a minivan that drove off towards Grozny. Along the way, Ruslan's mother and Mr. Z were thrown out of the van. Ruslan has not been seen or heard from since. The investigation into his disappearance has been ineffective.

In the early hours of 4 February 2000 the village of Katyr-Yurt, declared a ''safe zone'', came under aerial attack without any previous warning (see also the case Isayeva v. Russia, no 57950/00). The heavy shelling of the village continued until 7 February 2000. Many villagers died or were injured as a result of the bombardment. This particular case is lodged by relatives of 24 of the killed villagers. Several of the relatives were also injured during the bombardment.  The prosecutor's office terminated the criminal proceedings into the shelling and established that the military actions had been necessary.

On the night of 19 February 2003 Isa Aytamirov was sleeping at his aunt's house in the village of Noviy Tsentaroy. At 4 a.m. about thirty armed Russian servicemen in military uniforms arrived on three APCs and broke into the house. They apprehended Isa and put him into one of the APCs before driving away. He has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has failed to produce any results.

On 7 February 2000 the village of Gekhi-Chu came under shelling by artillery and from planes. When the shelling stopped at around 2 p.m. the Dzhabrailov and Israilov families came out of their shelter. They were met by Russian servicemen who led away Aslanbek Dzhabrailov and the three brothers Adam, Aslanbek and Turpal Israilov to a nearby courtyard. Within 15 minutes an exchange of gunfire was heard. When the servicemen left, the four young men were found dead in the courtyard. The investigation into their death has not produced any results.  

Early in the morning on 13 February 2003 forty armed men broke into the apartment of Ilyas Yansuyev in Grozny. They searched the flat and beat several of the awoken family members. When they left, they took Ilyas Yansuyev and his brother, Isa Yansuyev, with them. The brothers were loaded into Armoured Personnel Carriers that drove towards Khankala. The Yansuyev brothers have not been seen since. An official investigation into their case was opened but it has not produced any results.

Police detained Alaudin Sadykov on 5 March 2000  and held him in the temporary police precinct in the October district of Grozny for over two months. During those months  police cut off one of his ears  broke several ribs and caused numerous other physical injuries. Sadykov was eventually released in May 2000. He reported the ill-treatment in June 2000 to the prosecutor's office. However  the official investigation has failed to identify any suspects. Sadykov continues to seek justice by appealing to the procuracy and other authorities.

On 21 June 2002, servicemen from the Ministry of the Interior of Dagestan detained Gasan Magomedov in the city of Makhachkala. Magomedov was initally brought to the  SIZO-I and later transferred to detention centre of Ministry of the Interior, to the Department of the FSB, to the temporary detention centre (IVS) of the Department of the Interior of the Leninskiy District and to the Department on Combating the Organised Crime on several occasions. In his application to the ECHR, Magomedov complained about the conditions of detention, that he had been tortured during his detention, and that the Russian authorities had failed to properly investigation his allegations of torture.

On 14 January 2005 a group of armed Russian military servicemen arrived at the remote village of Zumsoy by helicopter. In the evening, Shirvani Nasipov was seen being apprehended by military servicemen on his way home. He has not been seen since. At around the same time, a missile hit the yard of the Mukhayev family who took refuge in their neighbours' house. They later witnessed how military servicemen carried out their household items while pointing guns at them. On 15 January, about twenty five armed servicemen arrived at the neighbours' house where they apprehended Vakha Mukhayev and his son, Atabi Mukhayev. Their relatives saw them being taken to a military helicopter which took off. Vakha and Atabi have not been seen since. The investigation into the disappearance of the three men has not produced any results.

In the evening of 31 October 2009 a group of about thirty armed servicemen in several vehicles arrived at the house of the Aziyev family in the settlement of Staraya Sunzha in Grozny. Rizvan Aziyev was not at home. The servicemen ordered Khava Aziyeva to call her brother Rizvan Aziyev and tell him to come home as soon as possible. Then the officers went outside, locking Khava Aziyeva in the house. The applicants' neighbour saw Rizvan Aziyev being taken away by the servicemen who had been waiting for him next to the applicants' house. He has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

In the evening of 24 November 2002, Abu Zhanalayev and Sayd-Selim Benuyev were abducted from their respective homes in the village of Martan-Chu, Chechnya, by armed servicemen. They were put in UAZ vehicles that drove away in the direction of Urus-Martan. Abu and Sayd-Selim have been missing since. The investigation into their disappearance has not been meaningful.

At about 9 a.m. on 2 April 2003 Artur Akhmatkhanov went with his mother to the Shali town centre. His mother had forgotten a document at home and went back to fetch it. Shortly after returning home, she heard shooting from the premises of a nearby storehouse. Walking back to the centre she noticed that the storehouse was surrounded by Russian military servicemen. She proceeded to the centre but could not find Artur anywhere. The military was seen leaving half an hour later in four APCs. Witnesses saw a young man with a plastic bag over his head being placed in one of the vehicles. Artur's cap was later found inside the storehouse. He has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results.

In the morning of 27 February , a large group of federal military servicemen broke into the house of the Gelayev family in the village of Gikalo. They dragged Murad Gelayev outside and put him into one of their vehicles. Murad's mother and grandmother were both beaten when they tried to stop the abduction. Several other men from Gikalo were also detained that night. Upon their subsequent release they recounted that Murad had been detained with them in Chernokozovo detention centre and that he had been severely tortured. Murad is still missing.

On 18 September 2000 Zaur Ibragimov, Magomed Temurkayev, Rizvan Ismailov, Sayd-Ali Musayev, Kharon Musayev and Khasan Batayev were at the latter's home in Grozny.  At about 4.00 p.m. two armoured personnel carriers and an UAZ vehicle arrived. A group of armed men wearing camouflage uniforms got off the vehicles and burst inside. They seized all six men and took them away. Their families have not heard from them since. The investigation into their disappearance has not produced any results.

At about 1 p.m. on 14 June 2004, Said-Magamed Tovsultanov was apprehended by a group of armed masked men in camouflage uniform in five VAZ and UAZ cars in the center of the village of Sleptsovskaya (also known as Ordzhenikidzovskaya), Ingushetia. Right before being put in one of the cars, Said-Magamed managed to shout out his name to the bystanders who informed his mother of the arrest. Said-Magamed has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has produced no results.

Dugurkhan Ilyasova is the mother of Magomed-Salekh and Magomed-Ali Ilyasov who were detained by Russian military servicemen in the village of Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya, on 12 November 2002. The applicant was informed by a local resident with connections to the FSB that her sons had been detained in the Staropromyslovskiy ROVD before being transferred to another detention center. The investigation into the brothers’ disappearance produced no results.

On 15 March 2001 at about 12.45 p.m., two APC's and several other military vehicles arrived at the Vakayevs' home in the village of Duba-Yurt, Chechnya. Around thirty armed men got out of the vehicles and opened fire. Shamil Vakayev and his neighbour, Ms. Ch. were wounded. Then the armed men beat Salambek Tatayev, Ramzan Dudayev, Yunus Abdurzakov, Shamil Vakayev who were in the house. Shamkhan Vakayev was captured in an upstairs bedroom. The five men were thereafter brought outside and put in the military vehicles that drove away. They have all been missing since. The investigation into their disappearances has not yielded any results. On 2 April 2005, a group of armed masked men burst into the Vakayevs' home. This time, Shamshudi Vakayev were forced to come with them as they left. He has not been seen since. It remains unclear whether his case has been investigated to date.

At about 3 a.m. on 27 December 2004 a group of about twelve armed men in camouflage uniforms broke into the house of the Alapayev family in the village of Sernovodsk. The servicemen started kicking and beating Salambek Alapayev and his elderly grandfather. After another 15 minutes, the servicemen dragged Salambek outside, put him in one of their cars and drove away. He has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

On the night of 16 December 2001 between 2 and 3 a.m. a number of armed men in camouflage uniforms burst into the houses of the Khutsayev and the Didayev families in the village of Gekhi.  The servicemen beat several family members, searched the houses and seized all valuables. Upon leaving, they took Beslan and Movsar Khutsayev and Adam Didayev with them. None of the three men have been seen since. The investigations into their disappearances have not produced any results.

At about 7 a.m. on 16 February 2003 a group of armed masked men arrived at the Dzhabrailov's house in the settlement of Pervomayskiy. They broke into the house and apprehended Valid and Aslan Dzhabrailov. The brothers were taken to a detention center where they were severely ill-treated for two days. On 18 February 2003, Aslan was put in a military car where he discovered the dead body of Valid. The servicemen drove to an abandoned building where they dumped Valid's body, shot Aslan in the head and put explosives under their bodies before leaving. Playing dead, Aslan managed to escape and return home. The investigation into the abduction of the brothers and the killing of Valid has not produced any results.

On 16 May 2000 at about 7 p.m., Ramzan Suleymanov, his pregnant wife Petimat Aydamirova, their son Ibragim Suleymanov and their relative Aslanbek Aydamirov left the village of Gekhi to visit a sick relative. Their truck was later found burning outside Gekhi, Petimat's body lying next to it. Russian military had approached the vehicle in an APC and opened heavy fire. Due to the curfew,  local residents and administration could not examine the scene until next morning. At that point, the corpses had been removed. On 19 May 2000, the remains of Ramzan, Petimat, Ibragim and Aslanbek were found bearing signs of violent death. The investigation into the killings has not been meaningful.

At about 10 p.m. on 23 November 2002 Adam Khurayev, who was staying with his aunt in Urus-Martan, went outside to the outhouse in the yard. Shortly thereafter about fifteen armed masked men in camouflage uniforms broke into the house where they conducted a search. Before driving away in an APC and two UAZ cars the men shouted to someone in the yard. When the men had left, Adam's relatives realized that he had disappeared. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

At about 8.00 a.m. on 2 August 2004 security forces carried out an operation in the Оrdjonikidzenskaya settlement in Ingushetia. Sultan Khatuyev and six of his neighbours were apprehended. The other men were later relased. According to them, Khatuyev had been beaten by FSB officers and released in a very poor condition. The FSB officers had left him alone at a rubbish dump. Khatuyev has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not yielded any results.

At about 5.30 a.m. on 3 January 2003 a group of armed men in camouflage uniforms abducted Vakhit Dzhabrailov from his home in the town of Shali. They put him in one of their vehicles and drove away in the direction of the department of the interior of the Shali district (the ROVD). Vakhit has not been seen since. The official investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results.

At about 2.30 a.m. on 19 January 2004 several military vehicles arrived at the house of the Mutayeva family in the settlement of Assinovskaya. A group of about 20 armed men in camouflage uniforms woke up the family to conduct a passport check. The servicemen checked the passports, searched the house and ordered Luiza Mutayeva to follow them outside for questioning. Luiza was put in one of the vehicles which later drove away. She has not been seen since. The investigation into her disappearance has not produced any results.

In the night of 1 August 2008, the gunfire started in Tskhinvali. The next day the applicant and her daughter were evacuated from the town. The applicant complains under art 2 that her life and those of her family members were under the threat as a result of Georgian intervention. She additionaly complains to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, since she was obliged to leave her house and underwent mental, emotional and physical suffering (art 3 and 13). On 14 August the applicant and her daughter were transported to the town of Teberda where they were provided with accomodation in a boarding house. The applicant indicated that her flat had been destroyed as a result of bombing and that she could not enjoy her property which had been damaged (Protocol 1, art 1).

On 8 August 2008 the applicant's village was occupied by Georgian militaries. Prior to their arrival, they opened fire, which, according to the applicantб put her life under threat (art. 2). They searched houses for members of the South Ossetian militia. For two days the applicant and her husband were held hostages in the basement of their house without food and water. When they attempted to leave the room, they were subjected to beating (art. 3, 5 and 13). In addition, the applicant complains that her right to respect for her private life and family life was breached (art 8) and that she was discriminated on the ground of her nationality (art 14 in conjuction with art 3 and 13)

On 7 August 2008 the Georgian armed forces started the shelling of the town of Tskhinvali. The applicant and her husband moved to the basement in order to escape from the bombardment. On 9 August, they left the basement to check the situation. At that moment an artillery shell exploded and hit the applicant's husband. He died on the spot. The applicant complains that her husband's right to life was violated (art 2). She also complains to be subjected to inhuman treatment due to the conditions in the basement, where she had to stay for few days. Moreover, her flat was distroyed, which she regards as a violation of her right to peacefully enjoy her possesions (Protocol 1, art 1). She also complains that her right to private and family life was violated as the result of Georgian intervention, which caused her husband's death. Finally, she complained to be discriminated on the ground of her nationality.

On 7 August 2008 the Georgian armed forces started the shelling of the town of Tskhinvali. The applicant with his wife and two sons hid in the basement, where they spent four days without food or water. When on the fourth day the applicant went outside to check the situation, he was detained by the Georgian soldiers and taken to Nikozi. He was kept in dark and humid basement for one day without food or water. Subsequently he was set free. The applicant complies that under art 2 his life was under the threat. He also complains that he was subjected to inhuman treatment, due to the conditions in which he was forced to move to the basement and had to stay there for several days, which led to the decline of the applicant's health state (art 3 and 13). He also  alleges the violation of Protocol 1 art 1 since his house was destroyed, and complains that he was discriminated on the ground of his nationality (art 14 in conjuction with art 3 and 13).

The applicant's son, A.V. Shmyganovskyi, was a contract serviceman within Russian armed forces.  While conducting a peace keeping mission in Tskhinvali, on 8 August 2008, he was killed under unknown circumstanes as a result of Georgian army's artillery offensive. As his body was totally carbonised, the death cause had never been established. The applicant alleges the violation of her son's right to life by the Georgian military forces (art. 2).

On 7 August 2008 the Georgian armed forces started the shelling of the town of Tskhinvali. As the firing was temporarily stopped, the applicant (a disabled man, who is suffering a Parkinson's disease) left his flat and went to Dzari settlement. He then hid in the basement in a Dzari house for three days. The applicant complains that his life was under the threat (art 2) and that he was subjected to inhuman treatment due to the conditions of the basement, where he had to spend several days (art 3 and 13). He also alleges the violation of the right to private life (art 8) and to the protection of property (Protocol 1, art 1) as his house was destroyed. In addition, the applicant complains to be discriminated on the ground of his nationality (art 14 in conjuction with art 3, 8 and 13).

At about 4. a.m. on 31 May 2001 armed servicemen wearing black masks arrived at the house of the Tasatayev family in Urus-Martan in a UAZ "Tabletka." They were equipped with portable radios and had a search dog with them. They searched the house and detained Aslan Tasatayev and his cousin Aslanbek Tasatayev, who were driven away in the Tabletka. They have not been seen since. The investigation into their disappearances has not produced any results.

Early in the morning on 15 October 2002 the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Chechen prosecutor's office carried out a joint operation in the village of Nagornoye, Chechnya. Usman Umalatov and Shamad Durdiyev were apprehended in their homes and brought to the FSB office together with nine other inhabitants of Nagornoye. The other nine persons were later released. Usman and Shamad have not been heard from since. The authorities have failed to conduct an effective investigation into their disappearances.

At about 4 p.m. on 13 September 2000 Magomed-Ali Abayev and Anvar Shaipov walked towards the centre of Urus-Martan. Two Russian servicemen stopped them at a check point on the way. The servicemen took their passports and one of the soldiers went with them into a nearby factory building. A few minutes later he returned to the check point without them. Magomed-Ali and Anvar have not been heard from since. The investigation into the disappearance has not been meaningful.

On 29 Janury 2003 Russian military forces carried out a special operation in the village of Raduzhnoyen. More than 20 persons were arrested. At 8 a.m. a group of armed men entered the Mudayev's house. They apprehended Aslan and Mokhmad Mudayev and a relative. On 30 January all arrested villagers, except Aslan and Mokhmad, were released. The brothers have not been seen since. The investigation into their disappearance has not produced any results.

In the afternoon of 9 December 2002 Aslan Sadulayev and three other persons drove towards Urus-Martan in a VAZ car. At the intersection of the road to the village of Komsomolskoye and the road from Alkhazurovo to Urus-Martan they were stopped by Russian military servicemen at a check point. A bus was stopped at the same time. Several passengers, one of them recognizing Aslan, witnessed how the servicemen surrounded the VAZ car with their APC's and how all vehicles drove away in the direction of Urus-Martan. Aslan has not been seen since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

At about 5:30 a.m. on 14 March 2005 a group of approximately fifty men on two APCs and a VAZ car arrived at the house of the Abdurashidova family in the village of Solnechnoye. The men broke into the house and opened gun fire. Seven year old Summaya Abdurashidova was hit by a rifle granade and died of her injuries. Two men staying with the family were also killed.The gunfire destroyed the house and the family possessions in it. Summaya's father was taken to the department of the interior of the Khasavyurt district. The family has repeatedly requested a criminal investigation into the death of Summaya and the destruction of their property. It is unclear whether a criminal investigation has ever been opened.

On 26 December 2002 a projectile entered the house of the Seriyev family in the village of Belgatoy. It hit and wounded Bilkis Askhabayeva, the mother in the family. She died from her injuries the same day. The criminal investigation into her death was terminated as no personal responsibility could be established. At about 5 p.m. on 1 June 2004 several cars arrived at the house of the Seriyev family. About thirty armed and masked servicemen got out of the cars and entered the house. The men apprehended Sarali Seriyev and drove away. Sarali has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

Bashir Mutsolgov has not been seen since the afternoon of 18 December 2003 when he was abducted from a street close to his home by a group of men armed with assault rifles who spoke unaccented Russian. The men arrived in two vehicles, wore masks and camouflage uniforms. Using force, they put Bashir Mutsolgov in one of the cars and drove away in the direction of the Karabulak department of the Interior.

The applicant complains about the death of his mother and aunt. He further complains that the Georgian Government failed to protect their life and to carry out an investigation into the circumstances of their death. He relies on Article 2 of the Convention, both taken alone and in conjunction with Article 13

In the evening of 19 June 2002 a large group of armed servicemen arrived at the Iriskhanov's house in the village of Samashki. When Zurab and Gilani Iriskhanov ran outside, the servicemen opened fire at them. Zurab was wounded. The two brothers were handcuffed, beaten with gun-butts and put in different vehicles that drove away. Zurab has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results. On 27 June 2002, Gilani was released. He had been beaten in detention and had to undergo medical treatment.

At 2.00 a.m. on 29 October 2002 around thirty armed and masked men broke the door of the Aliyevs' flat in Grozny. The servicemen awakened Abu Aliyev, forced him onto the floor and beat him. Then they took Abu with them and left. A neighbour saw the men dragging Abu, who was disabled with only one leg, to one of their vehicles before they drove away. Abu has been missing since. The official investigation into his disappearance has not produced any results.

On 14 March 2000 Islam Dubayev and Roman Bersnukayev surrendered to the Russian Militia after having been promised amnesty. The men went to a military check point close to Martan-Chu. Having handed over their weapons, the men were put in an Ural car and driven to the headquarters of the Russian Federal Forces Group West. Islam and Roman have not been seen since. The investigation into their disappearance has not produced any results.

At about 2 a.m. on 13 July 2002 the Guluyev family was awaken by a group of armed men outside their house in Grozny. Two armed men smelling of alcohol entered the house and caught Ramzan Guluyev. When the family went out to the courtyard the servicemen started to beat them with their guns. The servicemen left after a while taking Ramzan with them. He has not been seen since.  The criminal investigation into his case has not been effective.

The applicants are woman and her four children. The applicants complain under Article 3 of the Convention that the Russian authorities subjected them to inhuman and degrading treatment by unlawfully forcing them to terminate their travel to Georgia and to spend two weeks in the border city of Derbent, without any health care arrangements, accommodation, food, transport and logistical support. As a result of this ill-treatment, the first applicant gave birth to a stillborn child, suffered severe emotional depression, and her minor children suffered health consequences of various degrees.

At about 6 a.m. on 6 January 2003 a group of armed servicemen broke into the house in Zakan-Yurt where Balavdi Ustarkhanov was staying for the night. The servicemen apprehended Balavdi and drove away in the direction of the local check point of the Russian military forces. Balavdi has been missing since. The investigation into his disappearance has not been meaningful.

At about 4. a.m. on 14 January 2003 several military vehicles arrived at Orekhova Street in Achkhov-Martan. Armed servicemen ran into the house of the Ismailov family and apprehended Aslan and Aslambek Ismailov. A few houses away, Khizir and Yaragi Ismailov were apprehended together with Yusi Daydayev. The military vehicles drove away with the apprehended men. None of the five men have been seen since. The investigation into their disappearances has not produced any results.

Yusup Satabayev was arrested by the FSB in February 2000. The criminal proceedings against him was discontinued on 27 July 2000. On 28 July 2000 Yusup was transferred to the detention facility of the Urus-Martan temporary Department of the Interior of the Chechen Republic (VOVD).  On 14 August, VOVD officials informed Yusup's mother that he had been transferred to the federal force groups “Zapad”. Yusup has not been seen since.