ECHR Cases from the North Caucasus

The circumstances of the events are similar to those described in Vasilkova v. Russia, no. 16319/10 (see above). On 17 November 2000 the Grozny prosecutor’s office opened criminal cases no. 12284. The investigation is still pending.

On 15 February 2005 Mr Saitaksi Umarov went to work in Duba-Yurt, Chechnya, and never returned home. On 9 November 2005 the Shali district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 46151. The investigation is still pending.

On 2 March 2011 Mr Said Sigauri left his home in Grozny and did not return. Later on the same date, he was seen detained by the police in the course of a special operation in Grozny. On 24 June 2011 the Achkhoy-Martan investigative department of the Chechnya Investigations Committee opened criminal case no. 67002. The investigation is still pending.

On 7 July 2009 Mr Khamzat Dzeytov was allegedly abducted by State agents on his way to work. On 7 October 2009 the Achkhoy-Martan district investigative committee opened criminal case no. 85012. The investigation is currently pending.

On 12 December 2003 six armed servicemen in balaclavas in UAZ vehicle arrived at Mr Umar Dzhabrailov’s house and took him away to an unknown location. On 15 December 2003 the Achkhoy-Martan district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 44091. The investigation is currently pending.

On 23 May 2002 about thirty armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at the applicants’ house in Zakan-Yurt and took Mr Yusup Khamzatov away. On 25 May 2002 the Achkhoy-Martan district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 63036 into Yusup Khamzatov’s abduction. The investigation is still pending.

On 21 May 2002, while he was on the way home from his neighbour’s house in Grozny, a group of armed servicemen hit Mr Islam Gelayev in the head with a rifle butt and took him away in an UAZ car. On 3 November 2002 the Urus-Martan town prosecutor’s office opened criminal case number 61153. The investigation is still pending.

On 31 March 2002 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ block of flats in two APCs, two UAZ (“таблетка”) and URAL vehicles and took Mr Ibragim Asabayev and Mr Alkhazur Asabayev away. On 15 July 2002 (in the documents submitted the date was also referred to as 16 September 2002) the Shali district prosecutors’ office opened criminal case no. 59153. The investigation is still pending.

On 1 March 2002 a group of armed servicemen detained Mr Gilani Asukhanov at checkpoint no. 207 at the exit from Urus-Martan and took him away in a VAZ-2106 vehicle. On 4 March 2002 the Urus-Martan district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 61054. The investigation is still pending.

On 21 May 2004 a group of armed servicemen arrived at Mr Aslan Shabazov’s acquaintance’s house in two Gazel, one UAZ, three UAZ (“таблетка”) and VAZ-21099 vehicles. Having broken into the house, they took Mr Aslan Shabazov away in a helicopter. On 9 November 2004 the Sunzhenskiy district prosecutors’ office in the Republic of Ingushetia opened criminal case no. 04600072. The investigation is still pending.

On 27 July 2003 a group of armed servicemen arrived at the applicants’ village in an APC and two UAZ (“таблетка”) vehicles. Having broken into the applicants’ house, they took Mr Abdul-Mezhid Israilov away. On 10 September 2003 the Urus Martan district prosecutors’ office opened criminal case no. 34092. The investigation is still pending.

At about 8 p.m. on 27 September 2004 a group of about ten armed servicemen in camouflage uniforms arrived at Mr Taysumov’s house at 23 Arsanova Street in Novyye Atagi, Chechnya, in a KAVS bus with registration numbers containing the digits 448 95. The servicemen were of Slavic appearance and spoke unaccented Russian. They checked Mr Taysumov’s passport, then forced him into the bus and drove off in the direction of Grozny. The whereabouts of Mr Taysumov have remained unknown ever since. His abduction took place in the presence of several witnesses, including his parents (Ms T.T. and Mr I.T.), his wife and neighbours.

At about 6 p.m. on 5 June 2004 Mr Taysumov was on a street in Vedeno, Chechnya, when armed servicemen in balaclavas arrested him, forced him into an UAZ minivan (tabletka) without registration numbers and drove off to an unknown destination. The whereabouts of Mr Taysumov have remained unknown ever since.

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.