ECtHR awards 1.5 million euros to relatives of kidnapped residents of Chechnya

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Russia to pay compensation to relatives of 21 residents of Chechnya who disappeared during special operations of federal troops.

A total of 1,534,750 euros have been awarded by the ECtHR on the outcomes of considering the cases "Mezhidov et al versus Russia" and "Bitsaev et al versus Russia". The kidnappings took place in 2001-2005; in most cases people disappeared after soldiers in camouflage came to their homes in armoured troop carriers (ATCs), or other military machines.

According to the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the claimants failed to prove the involvement of federal militaries or other state servants in kidnappings. Besides, they failed to pass through all the judiciary instances in Russia, the MoJ asserts. However, the ECtHR has ruled that in the cases indicated by the claimants Russia had violated their right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, the right to liberty and the right to judicial protection, the two today's decisions of the ECtHR, posted on its website, have stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 23, 2018 at 07:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.