Court recognizes investigators' idleness in case of natives of Northern Caucasus, who disappeared in Moscow

On November 24, the Moscow Garrison Military Court declared illegal the denial to initiate a criminal case on the fact of disappearance in the Russian capital of Muslims Zelimkhan Chibiev, Djamal Magomedov, and Akil Abdulaev on September 24, 2010.

According to the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", at night on September 25, 2010, seven Muslims disappeared in Moscow. Initially, information about five disappeared Muslims - Zelimkhan Chibiev, Magomed Israpilov, Dovar Asadov, Djamal Magomedov, and Akil Abdullaev - was disseminated. Later, it became known that another two men Khasan Nakash and Alexander Khaidov disappeared together with them. Several kidnapped are natives of the North Caucasian republics, and Assadov and Nakkashev are citizens of Tajikistan.

The Moscow Garrison Military Court began to consider the case after a complaint filed by Emil Taubulatov, the lawyer of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", against the denial pronounced by I. S. Chernobaba, the investigator from the Military Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), to initiate criminal case under Articles "kidnapping" and "abuse of power", the HRC "Memorial" reports.

Earlier, it was reported that on the day of their disappearance, all eight people drove in two cars from the Moscow Region to the mosque located in Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street. According to the HRC's information, Anzor Gasanov was together with the disappeared men, and he was brought to his house in Khovrino at 2:00 a.m. in the night. According to the HRC "Memorial", on October 29, 2010, Anzor Gasanov was detained on suspicion of robbery. He was wounded at detention and brought to hospital under police escort.

Svetlana Gannushkina, Chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the human rights defenders rendered active advocate assistance to relatives and friends of the disappeared people. According to the human rights defenders, "law enforcement agencies or associated criminal groupings" can stand behind the kidnapping.

According to the HRC "Memorial", in his turn, a representative of investigators told a female relative of one of the disappeared people that the lost citizens "were trained in terrorist camps, and their relatives put up a fuss to distract attention."