ECHR Cases from the North Caucasus

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.

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.