Journalists beaten up in Ingushetia assess prospects of their complaints to ECtHR

The journalists and rights defenders, who suffered, when their minibus of the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) was attacked in Ingushetia in 2016, have complained to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), indicating violations of five articles of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). However, the victims have no hope that their complaints to the ECtHR will contribute to the resumption of an effective investigation of their case in Russia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 9, 2016, in Ingushetia, not far from the Chechen border, an attack was committed on the JMG minibus belonging to of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). Eight journalists and rights activists, as well as the driver, were severely beaten up.

Two complaints were filed with the ECtHR, said Kirill Koroteev, a lawyer of the "Agora" Group.

There is no doubt that the case will be won at the ECtHR, but it is unlikely that this will affect the outcomes of the investigation of the criminal case about the attack, Yegor Skovoroda, a correspondent of the "Mediazona", believes.

Alexandrina Elagina, a journalist of the "New Times", has stated that she has no hopes for the resumption of an efficient investigation of the criminal case. According to her story, the murder case of Natalia Estemirova is also mentioned in the complaint.

Bashir Pliev, the minibus driver, could not fully recover from the attack and is currently undergoing his medical treatment in Anapa.