European Court collects 300,000 euros from Russia for kidnappings and torture in Chechnya and Ingushetia

The European Court on Human Rights in Strasbourg has found Russia guilty of disappearances of Chechen residents and torturing residents of Ingushetia.

In the case "Khadisov and Tsechoev versus Russia" the Court has found Russia responsible for illegal arrest and torture of Salambek Khadisov and Islam Tsechoev. Salambek and Islam, who had never met before, were detained on September 23, 2001, in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia, as the "Legal Initiative for Russia" reports.

They were transported to the military base in the city of Nazran, Ingushetia, where they were beaten and then brought by a helicopter to Khankala, the main military base of Russian federal troops in Chechnya.

Upon arrival, they were placed into an earth hole and kept there for 5 days; they were taken out only for interrogation. While interrogated, they were repeatedly exposed to torture. Later, Salambek and Islam were transferred to the Sixth Department for Fighting against Organized Crime (the so-called "UBOP") of the Staropromyslovskiy District of Grozny and, finally, released on October 12, 2001. After release, Salambek and the Islam could hardly move, the skin on their feet was torn away; their faces and bodies swelled up and were covered with hematomas.

The applicants on the case "Kheidaeva et al versus Russia" are relatives of the five men, who disappeared after detention at the block-post near Duba-Yurt village in Chechnya on June 9, 2002. Several eyewitnesses, including two OMON employees who took their service at the block-post, later told the inspectors that militaries of the 348th Battalion of Internal Troops detained Said-Sala Akhmatov, Mansur Ismailov, Suleiman Malikov, and Aldan and Aslan Khatsuev. For several years the authorities kept denying that they had ever detained five men. Nothing is still known about their fate.

The case "Idalova and Idalov versus Russia" concerns disappearance of Marvan Idalov on November 22, 2002, after he was detained by militaries in Akhkinchu-Borzoy village in Chechnya. Marvan is missing since.

According to the Court decisions, the applicants on the three cases were awarded compensations for material and mental damage in the sum of 286,000 euros, as the RIA "Novosti" reports.

: "European Court on Human Rights considers three complaints of Chechen residents," "European Court finds Russia responsible for disappearance of Chechen resident in 2003," ""Memorial": refusal of the European Court to request from Russia new investigation of crimes in Chechnya is unacceptable."