ECHR Cases from the North Caucasus

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.