The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has fined Russia about 65 Thousand Euro over abduction of well-known Ingush dissident Maksharip Aushev’s four male relatives in 2009.

Here is the press release:

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Press Release
ECHR 372 (2013)
19.12.2013

The European Court of Human Rights has today notified in writing the following judgement.

Dobriyeva and Others v. Russia (no. 18407/10)

The applicants, Tanzila Dobriyeva, Milana Adzhiyeva, Yelizaveta Dobriyeva, and Fatima Dzhaniyeva, are Russian nationals who were born between 1969 and 1984 respectively. The first three applicants, who live in St Petersburg and Arkhangelsk, respectively, are distant relatives of a well-known Ingushetia businessman and politician who was killed in October 2009 in the Russian North-Caucasus region by unidentified gunmen. The fourth applicant, Ms Dzhaniyeva, whose current whereabouts are unknown, is his widow. The applicants’ case concerned the alleged abduction and disappearance on 26 December 2009 in St Petersburg of four of their male relatives following their arrival the previous day from Ingushetia, together with Ms Dzhaniyeva. The latter, who was in the last month of her pregnancy, was to seek treatment in St Petersburg after having survived a car explosion in Ingushetia. The applicants last saw their male relatives late in the evening of 25 December 2009 when the men drove away to one of the family’s homes. According to the applicants’ submissions, one of the men called his wife and told her that the car was being followed by a suspicious vehicle, after which telephone contact was cut off. Following the applicants’ complaints to various authorities, a criminal investigation was opened on 25 January 2010. Relying on Article 2 (right to life), the applicants complained that their four relatives had disappeared after having been detained by State officials and that the investigation into the circumstances – which in December 2011 had remained pending without having established who was responsible – had been ineffective. The applicants also complained of violations of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) and Article 5 (right to liberty and security) as a result of their mental suffering caused by the disappearance of their close relatives, who they claimed had been unlawfully detained.

No violation of Article 2 (right to life) in respect of Yunus Dobriyev, Magomed Adzhiyev, Yusup Dobriyev and Ali Dzhaniyev
Violation of Article 2 (procedure) – in respect of the failure to investigate effectively the disappearance of the applicants’ four relatives

Just satisfaction: EUR 15,000 to each applicant (non-pecuniary damage), and EUR 4,000 to the applicants jointly (costs and expenses)