Victims of Dubrovka terror act to challenge at supervision refusal to open criminal case against officials

The Moscow City Court (MCC) has upheld the cassation lodged by the prosecutor's office against the ruling of the Lefortovo District Court to initiate a criminal case against the official who stormed the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre during the terror act. Now, the victims in the terror act case intend to challenge the MCC's decision at the supervisory instance.

On October 15, the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) dismissed the request of Igor Trunov, the lawyer representing the victims' interests, to initiate a criminal case against the officials who were in charge of the rescue operation at the end of the terror act. Mr Trunov challenged the ICRF's refusal; and on November 2, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow found the ICRF's refusal illegitimate. Then, the prosecutor's office filed a complained against the ruling of the Lefortovo Court.

The complaint states that "the materials of the case were not requested and not studied by the first instance; therefore, the descriptive part of its ruling has no grounds to conclude on the legality and completeness of the case."

In the opinion of the prosecutor's office, The Lefortovo Court should not have concluded on the idleness of the inquiry, the "Interfax" reports.

On December 5, the MCC upheld the position of the prosecutor's office,cancelled the ruling of the Lefortovo District Court and sent the case to reconsideration.

"This is an illegal and unjustified decision," Igor Trunov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On October 23, 2002, at the first night of the musical "Nord-Ost" in Moscow, militants captured 916 persons as hostages. Three days later, power agents conducted a rescue operation, in the course of which – under official data – 130 persons died and over 700 more suffered. In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)obliged Russia to pay compensations to the victims. The ECtHR also made remarks to actions of power bodies during the storming of the Theatrical Centre and found Russia an infringer of Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).