ECHR Cases from the North Caucasus

At about 4 a.m. on 6 October 2004 a group of about ten armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house at 31 Lugovaya Street in Vedeno in an UAZ (tabletka) minivan and an UAZ car without registration numbers. The servicemen spoke unaccented Russian and were wearing balaclavas. They made a forced entry into the house, arrested Ms Bariyat Akhyadova and took her away in one of the vehicles to an unknown destination. At about 12 noon on 8 October 2004 presumably the same group of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and balaclavas again arrived at the applicants’ house. They searched for Ms Bariyat Akhyadova’s children (the sixth and seventh applicants) and left having not found them in the house. The whereabouts of Ms Bariyat Akhyadova have remained unknown since the date of her abduction. The abduction took place in the presence of the applicants.

On 6 July 2003 the applicant’s relatives, Mr Khizir Magomadov and Mr Muslim Abzailov, were stopped by military servicemen while driving from Shali to Noviye Agati and taken away in a Ural lorry. On 4 August 2003 the Shali prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 22122. The investigation is still pending.

On 7 July 2003 a large group of military servicemen broke into the applicants’ house in Belgatoy and took Rustam Alyiev away. On 2 August 2003 the Shali district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 22120. The investigation is still pending.

On 14 July 2003 a group of around ten armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house in two UAZ (“таблетка”) vehicles and took Mr Adam Novruzov away. On 23 July 2003 the Zavodskoy district prosecutors’ office in Grozny opened criminal case no. 30119. The investigation is still pending.

On 21 August 2003 a group of armed servicemen in masks and camouflage uniforms with armoured shields arrived at the hospital in Ordzhonikidzevskaya in Ingushetia. They beat up Mr Rasmbek Saydulayev and Mr Lom‑Ali Shoipov and took them away. On 21 August 2003 the Sunzhenskiy district prosecutor’s office in Ingushetia opened criminal case no. 23600052. The investigation is currently pending.

Isa Kukayev lived at 42 Gogolya Street in the Zavodskoy district of Grozny. At about 6 a.m. on 29 August 2003 unidentified men wearing masks and armed with automatic weapons burst into his house, apprehended him and took him to unknown direction. In the application of 4 April 2005 to the “Vozvraschenie” Foundation, a non-governmental organisation which at the material time was creating a database of missing persons in Chechnya, the applicant submitted that the abductors had been of Chechen ethnic origin and she believed they could have taken her son to Sovkhoz (State farm) no.15. The applicant has had no news of her son ever since.

On 30 December 2001 and 1 January 2002 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ houses in a large number of military vehicles and took the applicants’ relatives away. On 7 February 2002 and 1 April 2002 the Argun inter-district prosecutor’s office opened criminal cases no. 75014, 75015 and 75031. The investigation is still pending.

On 16 July 2001 a group of armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and masks broke into the applicants’ house in Selmentauzen and took Mr Ruslan Adamov and Mr Supyan Adamov away to an unknown destination. On 25 November 2001 the Vedenskiy district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 37062. The investigation is still pending.

On the night of 27-28 July 2002 Mr Dangiriyev and his family members were at home at 22 Nuradilova Street in Geldagan, Chechnya, when between midnight and 1 a.m. a group of about ten armed servicemen wearing camouflage uniforms and balaclavas broke into their house. The servicemen spoke unaccented Russian; one of them was not wearing a balaclava and had a Slavic appearance. The servicemen searched the premises, then forced Mr Dangiriyev outside and took him away to an unknown destination.
In June 2005 an unidentified person contacted the applicants’ relative, Mr S.D., and gave him a list of seven persons who had allegedly been abducted by federal forces and who were still alive but being held in detention in Grozny. Mr Dangiriyev’s name was on the list. The applicants submitted this information to the investigators (see below).
The whereabouts of Mr Dangiriyev have remained unknown since the date of his abduction. His abduction took place in the presence of members of his family.

At about 3.00 a.m. on 21 March 2002 a group of ten to fifteen armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms and balaclavas arrived at the applicants’ house at 18 Sportivnyy Lane in Achkhoy-Martan in an UAZ car and an UAZ minivan (tabletka). Having broken into the house, the servicemen checked Mr Ibragimov’s passport, then forced him outside, put him into the UAZ minivan and drove off in the direction of Katyr-Yurt. The whereabouts of Mr Ibragimov have remained unknown ever since. His abduction took place in the presence of the applicants and their neighbours.

At about 3 a.m. on 1 March 2003 a group of ten armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house at 36 Chkalova Street in Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya, in two UAZ cars without registration numbers. The servicemen wore balaclavas and spoke unaccented Russian. They searched the premises, checked the identities of all those present in the house, then forced Mr Lom Israilov outside and took him away to an unknown destination.
The whereabouts of Mr Israilov have remained unknown ever since. His abduction took place in the presence of the applicants, other family members and neighbours.

The applicants complain under Article 2, 3 and 14 of the Convention of the Russian authorities’ failure to prevent and to carry out an effective investigation into Marem Yevloyeva’s presumed death and previous incidents of domestic violence. The first applicant Yelizaveta Aliyeva also complains under Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention of an ineffective investigation into her abduction.

On 23 April 2004 (in the documents submitted the date was also referred to as 23 March 2005) a group of men in camouflage uniforms seized Mr Isa Gaydakov on a street in Grozny and took him away. On 1 August 2005 the Leninskiy district prosecutor’s office in Grozny opened criminal case no. 40157 (in the documents submitted the number was also referred to as 44064). The investigation is still pending.

On 11 September 2002 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicant’s house in three APCs and three UAZ vehicles and took Mr Khamzat Larsanov away. On 26 September 2002 the Grozny town prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 48162. The investigation is still pending.

On 5 February 2003 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house in an UAZ minivan and a Gazel minivan and took Mr Magomed Azizov away. On 8 February 2003 the Shali district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 22026. The investigation is still pending.

On 10 August 2005 a group of armed servicemen in two UAZ vehicles arrested Mr Sayd-Eli Garbulatov in Grozny and took him away. On 8 May 2006 the Zavodskoy district prosecutor’s office in Grozny opened criminal case no. 51072. The investigation is still pending.

On 20 November 2000 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ house in an APC and an Ural lorry and took Mr Musa Tashayev away. On 17 May 2001 the Urus-Martan district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 25052. The investigation is still pending.

On 4 June 2002 Mr Tapa Tagirov left his home in Yandare and disappeared. A few hours later his brother Mr Apti Tagirov left to search for him and also disappeared. On 7 June 2002 fifteen armed men in two white GAZelle minivans without registration numbers arrived at the applicants’ house with Mr Tapa Tagirov, searched the premises and left with Mr Tapa Tagirov. On 3 October 2004 the Nazran district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 045000023. The investigation is still pending.

On 29 April 2000 Mr Isa Tovdayev went to a rubbish dump in Petropavlovskaya, Chechnya, and never returned home. On 12 February 2001 the Chechnya prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 19016. The investigation is still pending.

On 12 May 2002 (in the documents submitted the date was also referred to as 17 May 2002) a group of men seized Mr Said-Magomed Abdulazimov in the centre of Chiri-Yurt, Chechnya, and took him away in a Gazel minivan. On 1 August 2002 the Shali district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 59177. The investigation is still pending.