HRC "Memorial": urgent inquiries to European Court helped in releasing three kidnapped residents of Chechnya

As a result of complaints and requests to the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) about application of urgent measures under Rules 39-41 of the ECtHR, Russian human rights activists managed to prevent a number of complete disappearances or murders of the persons kidnapped in Chechnya and Dagestan; three of them are already at large.

The lawyers of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) started using this new practice from mid-2009. A complaint is submitted within several days after kidnapping, when the probability that the victim is still alive is high, runs the statement of the HRC "Memorial".

Human rights activists note that the new approach to this sort of cases has two basic aims: firstly, to inform the authorities that a complaint has been submitted to the ECtHR on the fact of kidnapping. This should motivate the authorities in their efficient investigation or, in case law enforcers are themselves involved in the kidnapping, result in release of the victims, as human rights activists are convinced.

Besides, the urgent measures allow receiving proofs of the kidnapping and data on possible involvement of power agents "hot on the trail", which is often impossible, when investigating one-year-old or even older cases.

Human rights activists note in three out of six cases, i.e., in 50 percent of the cases, the efficiency of the new strategy was proved by release of those kidnapped.