22:17, 17 April 2020

Court supports Vremenny villagers in their claims to authorities

Village of Vremenny after special operation, Dagestan. Photo: press service of the HRC 'Memorial', https://memohrc.org/ru/tags/specoperaciya-v-poselke-vremennyy

Today, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has reported that the court of cassation confirmed the right of two families from the Dagestani village of Vremenny to compensations for their properties destroyed during a counterterrorist operation (CTO).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 30, 2019, it became known that the Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan cancelled the decision of the Untsukul District Court, which had recognized members of five families as residents of the Vremenny village with the right to compensation. Lawyers from the HRC "Memorial" filed an appeal against the Dagestani Supreme Court's decision to the Pyatigorsk court of cassation.

Residents of Vremenny in Dagestan have been seeking compensation from the authorities for their destroyed housing since September 2014.On September 18, 2014, residents of Vremenny reported that the settlement was blocked by law enforcers. By October 8, almost all residents left the place; in December 2014, a special commission announced that 52 houses in Vremenny were unfit for living.

In Pyatigorsk, the fifth general jurisdiction court of cassation found that the families of Magomed Agaev and Raziyat Sidikbegova were living in the Vremenny village during the counterterrorist operation in 2014, the press service of the HRC "Memorial" reports today.

"Now, Magomed Agaev and Raziyat Sidikbegova will seek compensations for their destroyed properties. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) removed their surnames from the list for compensation, because they were not registered in the Vremenny village," the HRC "Memorial" reports on its website.

The court of cassation did not agree with the arguments of the Supreme Court of Dagestan. According to the Pyatigorsk fifth general jurisdiction court of cassation, under the Russian law, a place where a person lives is recognized as his or her place of residence, the HRC "Memorial" reports. "The fact that the families of Magomed Agaev and Raziyat Sidikbegova were living in the Vremenny village is confirmed by testimonies of witnesses and certificates from the administration of the Gimry village," the human rights defenders explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 17, 2020 at 02:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.