The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has fined Russia 1.500.000 Euro over disappearance of 17 Chechen men and 1 Chechen woman between 2000 and 2006.

Here are the press releases:

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Press Release
ECHR 292 (2014)
09.10.2014

On October 9, the European Court of Human Rights has notified in writing the following judgement.

Sultygov and Others v. Russia (nos. 42575/07, 53679/07, 311/08, 424/08, 3375/08, 4560/08, 35569/08, 62220/10, 3222/11, 22257/11, 24744/11, and 36897/11)

The applicants are 43 Russian citizens, who were born between 1933 and 2005. Three of the applicants live in Chippis (Switzerland), Boras (Sweden), and Nazran (the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia) respectively, and the remaining applicants live in various districts of the Chechen Republic.

They are the close relatives of seventeen men and one woman who disappeared between 2000 and 2006 after allegedly being arrested in Chechnya by Russian servicemen during security operations or at military checkpoints. In each application the alleged abductions took place in areas under full control of the Russian federal forces. The applicants complained to law-enforcement bodies, and official investigations were opened. The proceedings were repeatedly suspended and resumed, and have remained pending for several years without achieving any tangible results. While not challenging the applicants’ accounts, the Russian Government submit that there was no evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that State officials were involved in the alleged abductions.

Relying in particular on Articles 2 (right to life) and 5 (right to liberty and security), the applicants alleged that their relatives had disappeared and could be presumed dead after having been unlawfully detained by State officials and that the authorities had failed to carry out effective investigations into these allegations. They further complained of a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) on account of the mental suffering caused to them by the disappearance of their relatives. Relying on Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3, the applicants also complained that they had not had any remedies available at national level in respect of their complaints.

Violation of Article 2 (right to life) – in respect of the applicants’ relatives
Violation of Article 2 (procedure) – in respect of the authorities’ failure to investigate the disappearance of the applicants’ relatives
Violation of Article 3 (inhuman treatment) – in respect of the applicants, on account of their relatives’ disappearance and the authorities’ response to their suffering
Violation of Article 5 – in respect of the applicants’ relatives, on account of their unlawful detention
Violation of Article 13 in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3

Satisfaction équitable : In applications nos. 42575/07, 53679/07, 3375/08, 35569/08, 62220/10, 3222/11, 22257/11 and 36897/11, the Court awarded between 5,000 and 69,000 EUR per application in respect of pecuniary damage (in total: 192,000 Euro); in all 12 applications, it awarded between 60,000 and 240,000 EUR in respect of non-pecuniary damage (in total: 1,200,000 Euro); and, in all applications, it awarded between 1,000 and 3,000 EUR per application in respect of costs and expenses (in total: 32,900 Euro).