ECtHR obliges Russia to pay more than 120,000 euros to residents of Makhachkala

In Strasbourg, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has pronounced the decision in favour of relatives of two residents of Dagestan, kidnapped in Makhachkala in 2012. The ECtHR has obliged the Russian authorities to pay more than 120,000 euros to the victim party.

The complaints were filed by Nizamudin Aliev, the father of Sirazhudin Aliev, a resident of Makhachkala, and Madina Gadjieva, the wife of Gazimagomed Abdulaev. On January 21, 2012, Sirazhudin Aliev and Gazimagomed Abdulaev were stopped by armed men in uniform of road police (known as GIBDD) officers. They force young people out of the car and took them away to some unknown destination. According to the complainants, the kidnapping was witnessed by many people.

The complainants point out that their relatives were brought to the police station in Makhachkala, and later to the Stavropol Territory. Until present, the fate of the kidnapped men is unknown.

The Russian authorities do not argue against the circumstances of the kidnapping, but deny the involvement of law enforcers in the incident. They also treat the testimony of the complaints as unreliable.

The case involves the "Russian Legal Initiative" and NGO "Astreya".

The ECtHR has concluded that Russian law enforcers violated the right of Sirazhudin Aliev and Gazimagomed Abdulaev to freedom, personal inviolability and life, since young people should be recognized as deceased. The ECtHR has also found out that the Russian authorities failed to conduct appropriate the investigation into the case of kidnapping.

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