Russia responds to European Court on the case of non-giving out militants' bodies for burial in Kabardino-Balkaria

"The bodies of 95 militants who perished in the events on October 13, 2005, in Kabardino-Balkaria were cremated on June 22, 2006," runs the answer of V. Milinchuk, Representative of the Russian Federation at the European Court for Human Rights, to the Memorandum of the European Court on the complaint "Sabanchieva et al versus Russian Federation."

It follows from the answer that the criminal prosecution of "the members of the criminal community" has been stopped in connection with their death, and notifications have been sent to the relatives on impossibility of giving out their bodies with reference to the respective legislation.

As to the conditions the bodies were kept in, the answer runs that "because of a great number of casualties... it was not possible to ensure proper conditions for keeping the bodies right after the events... After the end of the medico-legal examination <...> they were taken out to Rostov-on-Don for making the molecular-genetic examination..."

The conclusion of the document states: "The complaint of the applicants on violation of their rights stipulated by Articles 3, 8, 9 and 13 of the European Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and on violation of the rights of their perished relatives... shall be subject to rejection."

It has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the applicants from Kabardino-Balkaria have time till July 24 for sending their objections to the European Court.