ECtHR awards over one million euros to families of 16 missing Chechens

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has pronounced the decision in the case of the disappearance of 16 residents of Chechnya in 2001-2006. The ECtHR has found Russia guilty of human rights violations and obliged the country to pay more than one million euros of compensation to 43 applicants residing in Chechnya.

According to the applicants, their disappeared relatives were detained at their houses by unidentified men in camouflage, and then the detainees disappeared. Investigations into the disappearance of people were repeatedly suspended.

In total, the case of "Petimat Ismailova and others vs. Russia" involves 12 complaints and 43 applicants of 11-93 years old.

Without disputing the applicants' statements, the Russian side has noted the lack of evidence clearly proving the fact of involvement of any public agents in the disappearance of people. This was stated in the ECtHR's decision published on the ECtHR's website.

The ECtHR has found violation of Articles 2, 3, 5 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights and ruled to pay 203,000 euros to the applicants for material damage, more than one million euros for moral harm, and 28,000 euros for legal costs, the RAPSI (Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information) reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.