{"id":8396,"date":"2011-06-22T01:05:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-21T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/?p=8396"},"modified":"2011-06-22T01:05:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-21T22:05:00","slug":"nakayev-v-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/2011\/06\/nakayev-v-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Nakayev v. Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The ECHR case of Nakayev v. Russia (applications no. 29846\/05).<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u2026<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"> \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">CASE OF NAKAYEV v.  RUSSIA <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Application no.  29846\/05)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">JUDGMENT<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">STRASBOURG<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">21 June 2011<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This  judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article\u00a044  \u00a7\u00a02 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the case of <strong>Nakayev  v. Russia<\/strong>,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The  European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Chamber  composed of:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Nina Vaji\u0107, <em>President<\/em>, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Anatoly Kovler, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Peer Lorenzen, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Elisabeth Steiner, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Khanlar Hajiyev, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> George Nicolaou, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, <em>judges<\/em>, <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and S\u00f8ren Nielsen, <em>Section Registrar<\/em>,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Having  deliberated in private on 31 May 2011,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Delivers  the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PROCEDURE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1.\u00a0\u00a0The  case originated in an application (no. 29846\/05) against the Russian  Federation lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention  for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (\u201cthe  Convention\u201d) by a Russian national, Mr Ibragim Nakayev (\u201cthe applicant\u201d),  on 27 June 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant, who had been granted legal aid, was represented by Mr\u00a0D. Itslayev,  a lawyer practising in Grozny, Chechnya. The Russian Government (\u201cthe  Government\u201d) were represented by Mr G. Matyushkin, Representative  of the Russian Federation at the European Court of Human Rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant alleged principally that he had been wounded as a result of  the military action in December 1999 and that no effective investigation  had taken place. He referred to Articles 2, 3, 6 and 13 of the Convention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">4.\u00a0\u00a0On  4 September 2008 the President of the First Section decided to grant  the application priority under Rule 41 of the Rules of Court and to  give notice of it to the Government. It was also decided to rule on  the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time (Article  29 \u00a7 1).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">THE FACTS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1.\u00a0\u00a0The applicant\u2019s wounding in 1999<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">5.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant was born in 1979 and lives in Urus-Martan, Chechnya.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">6.\u00a0\u00a0In  1999 the Russian Government launched a counter-terrorist operation in  Chechnya.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7.\u00a0\u00a0In  the autumn of 1999, because of the armed clashes, the applicant and  his family moved temporarily to the house of their relative, Mr\u00a0S.\u00a0Kh.,  at 9 Trudovaya Street, Martan-Chu, in Urus-Martan district. The village  administration recorded the applicant as an internally displaced person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">8.\u00a0\u00a0According  to the applicant, on 4 December 1999 between 11 a.m. and 12\u00a0noon advancing  Russian federal forces subjected the area around Martan-Chu to indiscriminate  shelling. He submitted that the army had used \u201cGrad\u201d (\u201c\u0413\u0440\u0430\u0434\u201d) or \u201cUragan\u201d (\u201c\u0423\u0440\u0430\u0433\u0430\u043d\u201d), multiple rocket launch systems, which were  stationed about ten kilometres from the village. Several projectiles  hit the village. One of them landed in the yard of Mr S. Kh. and hit  a car which was parked there. The applicant was standing next to the  car and received numerous splinter wounds, including to the head. According  to the applicant\u2019s submissions made to the Court, in June 2005 a part  of the projectile which had wounded the applicant remained in Mr S.\u00a0Kh.\u2019s  yard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">9.\u00a0\u00a0On  19 December 1999 the administration of Martan-Chu issued a paper which  stated that the applicant and his cousin had been wounded as a result  of the bombardment of the village on 4 December 1999 and that on the  same date they had been taken to the hospital in Novyie Atagi, in Grozny  district.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0The effect of the applicant\u2019s wounding  on the state of his health<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">10.\u00a0\u00a0As  a result of the wounding the applicant\u2019s health deteriorated; he had  become unable to work, which was recognised in 2001 by a forensic examination  as second-degree disability. He receives a monthly disability pension.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">11.\u00a0\u00a0According  to the submitted documents, the applicant underwent several rounds of  treatment in connection with his injuries. Between 4 and 21\u00a0December  1999 the applicant was in Novyie Atagi hospital. On 2\u00a0February 2000 a  splinter was removed from his head. Between 2 and 29\u00a0August 2001 the  applicant received post-operative treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">12.\u00a0\u00a0On  2 November 2004 the Urus-Martan district hospital summarised the state  of the applicant\u2019s health. According to the document, the applicant\u2019s  health had been monitored by the hospital since 2000; he required constant  rehabilitation therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">13.\u00a0\u00a0Between  25 and 29 April 2008 the applicant was examined by the experts of the  Chechnya Bureau of Forensic Expertise. According to their evaluation,  the applicant had a penetrating wound to the right part of the frontal  lobe with damage to the brain; such a wound could have been caused by  a shell splinter and was qualified as serious damage to the applicant\u2019s  health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3.\u00a0\u00a0The first round of the criminal investigation<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">14.\u00a0\u00a0On  11 March 2002 the applicant\u2019s mother wrote to the Russian Ombudsman  and asked for assistance in relation to the applicant\u2019s situation.  She indicated that her son had been injured on 4 December 1999 as a  result of the shelling of Martan-Chu and that the family had been bearing  the costs of complex medical interventions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">15.\u00a0\u00a0On  28 May 2003 the applicant\u2019s mother informed the Urus-Martan district  prosecutor\u2019s office (\u201cthe district prosecutor\u2019s office\u201d) about  the applicant\u2019s injury received during the bombardment on 4 December  1999. She alleged that the shelling of the village had been carried  out by the servicemen of the \u201c245th regiment\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">16.\u00a0\u00a0On  14 August 2003 the applicant\u2019s mother complained about the applicant\u2019s  injuries to the Urus-Martan district police department (\u201cthe ROVD\u201d)  and requested the authorities to institute a criminal investigation  into the events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">17.\u00a0\u00a0On  16 September 2003 the ROVD refused to institute criminal proceedings  in connection with the applicant\u2019s wounding on 4\u00a0December 1999. The  decision stated that the authorities had conducted an inquiry, which  had established the following: a number of armed clashes, including  exchanges of gunfire, had taken place between Russian forces and illegal  armed groups in the area of the applicant\u2019s residence in 1999. As  a result of the bombardment of Martan-Chu the applicant was injured,  which had been confirmed by the witness statements of Ms R. N., Mr R.  Kh. and Mr B. The projectile, which had hit the yard of Mr S. Kh. and  wounded the applicant, had been launched by one of the parties to the  conflict. However, it was impossible to establish which party had launched  the projectile. Thus, taking into consideration that the applicant had  been injured as a result of an accident, the request for the institution  of criminal proceedings was to be rejected pursuant to Article 24\u00a0\u00a7\u00a01  (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code owing to the lack of corpus delicti.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">18.\u00a0\u00a0On  16 September 2003 the ROVD informed the applicant about their decision  concerning the refusal to institute criminal proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">4.\u00a0\u00a0Proceedings for compensation for damage<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">19.\u00a0\u00a0On  15 April 2004 the applicant brought proceedings against the Ministry  of Finance. The applicant stated that as a result of the wounding on  4\u00a0December 1999 he had become incapacitated and unfit for work. He demanded  compensation for pecuniary damage in the amount of 184,256\u00a0Russian roubles  (RUB) and non-pecuniary damage in the amount of RUB\u00a01,500,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">20.\u00a0\u00a0In  response to the applicant\u2019s specific request, on 19 November 2004  the Martan-Chu administration issued a note that they \u201chad no information  about unprovoked artillery and air strikes\u201d on the village, except  for the air strikes which had occurred on 5 December 1999 and hit the  households of Mr\u00a0L.I. and Mr\u00a0S.E.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">21.\u00a0\u00a0On  2 December 2004 Urus-Martan Town Court (\u201cthe town court\u201d) rejected  the applicant\u2019s claim. It stated that although as a result of the  shelling on 4\u00a0December 1999 the applicant had been wounded and became  partially incapacitated, he had failed to provide sufficient evidence  which would allow the court to establish a causal link between the actions  of the artillery of the Russian armed forces and the damage alleged  by the applicant. In its ruling the court referred to the decision of  16\u00a0September 2003 to refuse criminal proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">22.\u00a0\u00a0On  8 December 2004 the Martan-Chu administration issued a note to confirm  that both on 4 and 5 December 1999 the village had been subjected to  indiscriminate bombardment from the direction of the advancing Russian  forces. On 4 December 1999 one of the projectiles had hit Mr S. Kh.\u2019s  yard and had destroyed his property, as confirmed by an official evaluation  of damages and by witness statements. The shelling was also confirmed  by the villagers\u2019 statements. At the relevant time the applicant had  been registered as an internally displaced person, was living with his  relatives in Martan-Chu and had become partially incapacitated as a result  of the injury received on 4 December 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">23.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant appealed against the judgment of 2 December 2004 alleging  that the town court had been partial and had failed to assess the evidence  properly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">24.\u00a0\u00a0On  28 December 2004 the Chechnya Supreme Court upheld the judgment. It  found that the applicant\u2019s appeal concerned reassessment of the evidence  examined by the first-instance court and confirmed that the applicant  had failed to substantiate his allegations with appropriate evidence.  The Supreme Court also pointed out that the applicant had failed to  appeal against the authorities\u2019 refusal to institute criminal proceedings  on 16\u00a0September 2003, and emphasised that that decision was still valid  and therefore had served legitimately as the basis for the court\u2019s  findings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">5.\u00a0\u00a0The criminal proceedings after January  2005<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">25.\u00a0\u00a0On  28 January 2005 the applicant asked the town court to set aside the  ROVD decision not to institute criminal proceedings and to oblige the  authorities to open a criminal investigation into his injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">26.\u00a0\u00a0On  18 February 2005 the town court allowed the applicant\u2019s complaint  and quashed the decision of 16 September 2003. The court stated that  the police had failed to carry out basic investigative measures such  as the examination of the crime scene, collection of evidence and forensic  assessment of the applicant\u2019s health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">27.\u00a0\u00a0On  29 May 2006 the applicant wrote to the ROVD and referred to the court  decision of 18\u00a0February 2005. He asked about the latest developments  in the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">28.\u00a0\u00a0On  15 June 2006 the ROVD referred to their previous decision of 16\u00a0September  2003 not to institute criminal proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">29.\u00a0\u00a0On  4 April 2008 the applicant again wrote to the ROVD and referred to the  town court decision of 18 February 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">30.\u00a0\u00a0On  21 April 2008 the district prosecutor\u2019s office remitted inquiry file  no.\u00a01159\/809 opened in connection with the applicant\u2019s complaint to  the ROVD for additional examination and decision on the merits. Following  this development, the ROVD carried out a number of investigative measures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">31.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government, in response to the Court\u2019s request, submitted thirty-five  pages from the investigation file dated between April and July 2008.  They argued that the remaining documents (no list or number of which  has been provided) could not be disclosed, in the absence of guarantees  by the Court to protect the data containing State secrets. Referring  to Article 161 of the Criminal Procedural Code, the Government stated  that the remaining documents could not be divulged without harming the  interests of the investigation and the interests of the participants  to the proceedings. The submitted documents and the parties\u2019 submissions  may be summarised as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">32.\u00a0\u00a0On  23 April 2008 the investigator examined Mr S.Kh.\u2019s household and noted  marks of shrapnel on some walls. Nothing of relevance to the investigation  was collected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">33.\u00a0\u00a0According  to the Government\u2019s submissions, in April 2008 the local police in  Martan-Chu had questioned two neighbours and the applicant\u2019s cousin,  who confirmed the circumstances in which the applicant was wounded on  4 December 1999. The police also questioned Mr M., who at the relevant  time had headed the local administration in Martan-Chu. He corroborated  the applicant\u2019s submissions and testified that he had inspected Mr\u00a0S.Kh.\u2019s  household shortly after the explosion and recorded the destruction.  None of these statements were made available to the Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">34.\u00a0\u00a0The  police also obtained copies of the applicant\u2019s medical file from the  Achkhoy-Martan hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">35.\u00a0\u00a0According  to the documents submitted, Mr S.Kh. died in May 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">36.\u00a0\u00a0The  criminal investigation file was eventually opened by the ROVD on 2\u00a0May  2008 under Article 111 part 2 of the Criminal Code \u2013 causing of serious  injuries by universally dangerous means.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">37.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant was questioned on 23 April and 18 June 2008 (only the record  of the latter has been submitted to the Court). He explained that on  4 December 1999 at about noon he and his cousin had been wounded as  a result of a shell exploding in the courtyard of Mr S. Kh.\u2019s house.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">38.\u00a0\u00a0On  13 May 2008 the Chechnya Bureau of Forensic Expertise concluded that  the applicant\u2019s injuries could have been caused by a piece of shrapnel  and that they constituted grievous bodily harm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">39.\u00a0\u00a0On  18 June 2008 the applicant was accorded the status of a crime victim  in the proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">40.\u00a0\u00a0On  18 June 2008 the applicant\u2019s mother was questioned. She gave similar  account about the applicant\u2019s wounding and about the treatment he  had to undergo. She indicated that she was not aware who exactly had  shelled the village, but she had heard that these were troops headed  by General Shamanov.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">41.\u00a0\u00a0On  26 June 2008 the applicant sought an award of RUB\u00a01,500,000 in compensation  for damage to his health against the perpetrators of the crime. On the  same day the investigator accorded the applicant the status of a civil  claimant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">42.\u00a0\u00a0On  2 July 2008 the investigation was adjourned for failure to identify  the culprits. The decision stated that in order to identify the persons  who had committed the crime the investigator had sent a number of requests  for information to the various bodies of the Ministry of Defence and  the Ministry of the Interior. Nothing of relevance to the investigation  was obtained. No copies of any such requests or answers have been submitted  to the Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">43.\u00a0\u00a0On  5 November 2008 the investigative department of the Ministry of the  Interior of Chechnya ordered that the investigation be resumed. The  reason for the decision was that unspecified investigative measures  had not been taken.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">44.\u00a0\u00a0In  February 2009 the applicant collected additional statements from his  cousin, two neighbours and his mother and submitted them to the Court.  These detailed statements concern the shelling and subsequent developments.  In particular, the applicant\u2019s cousin stated that the attack had been  carried out from the north and with the use of multiple-launch rocket  systems. He further stated that for several years after the event parts  of the \u201cGrad\u201d rockets could be found in the village and described  the one found in their courtyard. He alleged that on 4 December 1999  twenty-eight rockets (\u201cGrad\u201d is designed to launch forty projectiles)  had hit the village and listed other households and places where the  explosions had taken place. He alleged that in early December 2008 an  investigator had collected one part of the projectile from the village  for an expert evaluation. The applicant\u2019s mother alleged that the  investigator had informed her on the telephone that the expert report  had identified the metal object collected in autumn 2008 in Martan-Chu  as the tail part of the \u201cGrad\u201d missile. It appears that the investigation  is still pending.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">THE LAW<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I.\u00a0\u00a0ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 2  OF THE CONVENTION<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">45.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant complained that the attack of 4 December 1999 constituted  a violation of the right to life. He also alleged that no effective  investigation of the attack was carried out, in breach of Article 2  of the Convention, which reads as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c1.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone\u2019s right to life shall be protected  by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the  execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime  for which this penalty is provided by law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as  inflicted in contravention of this article when it results from the  use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(a)\u00a0\u00a0in defence of any person from unlawful violence;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(b)\u00a0\u00a0in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent  the escape of a person lawfully detained;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(c)\u00a0\u00a0in action lawfully taken for the purpose of  quelling a riot or insurrection.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A.\u00a0\u00a0Arguments of the parties<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1.\u00a0\u00a0The Government<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">46.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government considered that the complaint should be dismissed as inadmissible.  First, they pointed out that the applicant had failed to exhaust domestic  remedies. They considered that the applicant had failed to make full  use of his procedural position in the criminal proceedings, which conferred  on him the right to submit requests, motions and complaints against  the actions of the investigative authorities. He could also claim damages  from the investigating authorities in civil proceedings. The Government  referred to a number of complaints about the actions of the investigative  authorities lodged by the victims in Chechen courts where such complaints  had been granted. At the same time, the Government conceded that the  applicant had made partial use of these remedies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">47.\u00a0\u00a0They  further argued that the applicant\u2019s complaint under Article\u00a02 should  be dismissed as manifestly ill-founded, since he had failed to adduce  any relevant evidence to prove that the attack had been carried out  by State agents. They argued that the witnesses questioned within the  framework of the investigation, including the applicant, had failed  to indicate who had carried out the shelling of Martan-Chu or to indicate  the type of weapons used. The examination of Mr S.Kh.\u2019s household  had not produced any results and no fragments of explosive devices had  been found there. They further underlined the discrepancies between  the three documents issued by the administration of Martan-Chu in 2004  as to the date of shelling \u2013 4 or 5\u00a0December 1999. Thus, in their view,  the applicant\u2019s allegation was not supported by any additional, independent  evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">48.\u00a0\u00a0Finally,  in respect of the investigation, the Government argued that it had complied  with the standards set by the national legislation and by the Convention.  They pointed out that the establishment of the facts had been hampered  by the applicant\u2019s turning to the law-enforcement authorities in May  2003, which was three and a half years after the events. By that time  the material evidence of the crime had been lost and it had become impossible  to identify the military units which had been stationed in the vicinity  of Martan-Chu. Nevertheless, the Government stressed that the investigators  had taken all steps possible in such situation: they had questioned  a number of witnesses, inspected the scene and ordered a forensic expert  assessment of the applicant\u2019s injuries. They had sent requests to  various military and law-enforcement bodies in order to check the version  advanced by the applicant. The investigation had also taken steps to  check other possible versions of the event \u2013 that Trudovaya Street  in Urus-Martan had been mined or shelled by illegal armed groups. They  stressed that the investigation was ongoing and that measures aimed  at elucidating the circumstances of the crime were continuing to be  taken.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0The applicant<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">49.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant argued that he had exhausted domestic remedies, but that they  had turned out to be ineffective. His attempt to obtain compensation  through civil proceedings had been rendered futile by the absence of  conclusions from the criminal investigation. The investigation remained  passive, and the decision of Urus-Martan Town Court to open the investigation  of 18 February 2005 remained unenforced for several years. Finally,  he argued that he had applied to the Court within the six-month limit,  which was to be calculated from the date when his civil claim had finally  been rejected (28 December 2004).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">50.\u00a0\u00a0He  further argued that he had submitted sufficient evidence that lethal  force had been used against him by the State on 4 December 1999 and  that the Government had failed to justify it. He considered that he  had proven that the attack had been carried out by multiple rocket launch  systems such as \u201cGrad\u201d, which could not have been available to illegal  armed groups. The Government failed to submit another explanation of  the events or to disclose the documents from the investigation file,  which could allow the Court to draw negative inferences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">51.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant then argued that the authorities had failed to carry out an  investigation into the attack. The authorities were aware of the crime  prior to his application to the police in May 2003, in view of the obligation  for medical institutions to report victims of violent crimes to the  police. In any event, since May 2003 no criminal investigation has been  carried out, despite sufficient evidence and witness statements. The  applicant pointed out that in December 2008 the investigator had collected  a rocket part from the household of Mr N.M. in Martan-Chu, but had failed  to question the latter to find out how this object had ended up in his  courtyard. Finally, the applicant noted that since the investigation  had been adjourned, he had no access to the entire file and therefore  could not effectively appeal against further decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">B.\u00a0\u00a0Admissibility<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. Exhaustion of domestic remedies<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">52.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government argued that the applicant had failed to exhaust domestic  remedies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">53.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court notes that the Russian legal system provides, in principle, two  avenues of recourse for the victims of illegal and criminal acts attributable  to the State or its agents, namely civil and criminal remedies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">54.\u00a0\u00a0As  regards a civil action to obtain redress for damage sustained through  the alleged illegal acts or unlawful conduct of State agents, the Court  has already found in a number of similar cases that this procedure alone  cannot be regarded as an effective remedy in the context of claims brought  under Article 2 of the Convention (see Khashiyev and Akayeva v.\u00a0Russia, nos.\u00a057942\/00 and 57945\/00,  \u00a7\u00a7\u00a0119-121, 24 February 2005, and Estamirov and Others, cited above, \u00a7\u00a077). Nevertheless, the  applicant sought to obtain such compensation, but on 28 December 2004  his claim was dismissed in the final instance, at least partially due  to the absence of conclusions from the criminal investigation. The Government\u2019s  objection in this regard is thus dismissed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">55.\u00a0\u00a0As  regards criminal-law remedies, the Court observes that the applicant  complained to the law-enforcement authorities and that an investigation  is pending. The parties dispute the effectiveness of the investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">56.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court considers that the Government\u2019s objection raises issues concerning  the effectiveness of the investigation which are closely linked to the  merits of the applicant\u2019s complaints. Thus, it decides to join this  objection to the merits of the case and considers that the issue falls  to be examined below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0Other issues as to the admissibility<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">57.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court notes that this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within  the meaning of Article 35 \u00a7 3 (a) of the Convention. It further notes  that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must therefore  be declared admissible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">C.\u00a0\u00a0Merits<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1.\u00a0\u00a0Applicability of Article 2 of the Convention<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">58.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court notes that the applicant\u2019s injuries included a splinter wound  to the head damaging brain tissue and resulting in a permanent serious  disability (see paragraphs 10-13 above). This is sufficient to bring  the complaint within the ambit of Article 2, which protects the right  to life in situations where potentially lethal force is employed, notwithstanding  the fact that as a result of subsequent medical interventions the applicant\u2019s  life has been saved (see Makaratzis v. Greece [GC], no. 50385\/99, \u00a7\u00a7\u00a049-55, ECHR 2004-XI; Isayeva and Others v. Russia, nos.\u00a057947\/00, 57948\/00 and 57949\/00,  \u00a7 174, 24 February 2005; Goncharuk v. Russia, no. 58643\/00, \u00a7\u00a074, 4 October 2007).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0Alleged ineffectiveness of the investigation<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">59.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court will first examine the applicant\u2019s complaint concerning the  effectiveness of the investigation of the potentially lethal attack  against him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">60.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government stressed that the investigation of the applicant\u2019s complaint  within the criminal-law procedure had been carried out in accordance  with the national legislation. The applicant had been made fully aware  of the progress of the investigation and had not appealed against the  actions of the law-enforcement agents. The applicant could have appealed  against any decision on the basis of Article 46 of the Constitution  and Article\u00a0125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, but had failed to  do so. In any event, the effectiveness of the investigation was largely  undermined by the applicant\u2019s late submission of his complaint \u2013  three and a half years after the attack had occurred \u2013 by which time  the establishment of the facts had become impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">61.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court reiterates that the obligation to protect the right to life under  Article 2 of the Convention, read in conjunction with the State\u2019s  general duty under Article\u00a01 of the Convention to \u201csecure to everyone  within [its] jurisdiction the rights and freedoms defined in [the] Convention\u201d,  requires by implication that there should be some form of effective  official investigation when individuals have been killed as a result  of the use of force (see McCann and Others v. the United Kingdom, 27\u00a0September 1995,  \u00a7\u00a0161, Series\u00a0A no.\u00a0324, and Kaya v. Turkey, 19\u00a0February 1998, \u00a7 86, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998-I). Relevant  principles developed by the Court on this subject, including situations  where the victim has survived, may be found in the Isayeva and Others (cited above, \u00a7\u00a7\u00a0209-213).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">62.\u00a0\u00a0In  the present case the parties disputed the effectiveness of the investigation  carried out by the Urus-Martan ROVD. The Government argued that the  late application to the authorities lay at the heart of the investigation\u2019s  failure to establish the circumstances of the crime. The Court observes  first of all that even though the applicant\u2019s mother wrote to the  Russian Ombudsman in 2002, it was not until May 2003 that a proper complaint  about the attack was submitted to the prosecutor\u2019s office (see paragraphs  15 and 16 above). Thus, there was a delay of three and a half years  before the matter was brought to the attention of a competent domestic  authority. The applicant argued that this delay was attributable to  the Government, since the medical services should have transmitted the  information about his injuries to the relevant bodies in 1999 or in  2000. The applicant also submitted that he had undergone extensive treatment  for his injuries (see paragraphs 16-17 above), which could partially  explain that delay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">63.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court has previously considered situations where the authorities were  found to be under the obligation to conduct the investigation on their  own motion if there were serious reasons to believe that they were aware  of the allegations at the time, in the absence of a formal complaint  (see Goncharuk, cited above, \u00a7\u00a068). Turning to the present case,  the Court accepts that the authorities were required to conduct an investigation  into the potentially lethal attack upon the applicant. However the question  as to when this information became available to them remains open.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">64.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court notes that the wounding occurred in December 1999 in the Urus-Martan  district, during a period characterised by significant civil strife  in the Chechen Republic and in the area, which, at the time, had been  the scene of a violent confrontation between the federal armed forces  and rebel fighters (see Isayeva and Others, cited above, \u00a7 178, and Umarov v.\u00a0Russia (dec.), no.\u00a030788\/02, 18 May 2006). The applicant  was treated in the Novye Atagi hospital of Grozny district between 4  and 21\u00a0December 1999, and then again in February 2000 and August 2001.  It thus appears reasonable that if the applicant had considered that  a crime had been committed, he should have informed the law-enforcement  authorities in one of these locations at the time, or at the latest  when their normal functioning was resumed. In the absence of such initiative  on the part of the applicant, the Court is unable to conclude that the  authorities were at that time made aware of the alleged crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">65.\u00a0\u00a0In  any event, even if one were to assume that the authorities had been  apprised of the applicant\u2019s injury and were thus under an obligation  to act on their own motion, the total passiveness of the law-enforcement  authorities prior to May 2003 should have been apparent to the applicant.  However, it does not appear that he had questioned the effectiveness  of the proceedings prior to this date.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">66.\u00a0\u00a0Once  the complaint was lodged, on 16 September 2003 the prosecutor\u2019s office  decided not to open a criminal investigation due to the absence of evidence  of a crime. On an appeal by the applicant, in February 2005 a court  found that the decision had been taken without any serious probing into  the allegations, and ordered that a new set of proceedings take place  (see paragraph 26 above). Despite this order, it was not until April  2008 that the new round of investigating actions took place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">67.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court has stated on many occasions that speediness is an important element  of a criminal investigation. It thus accepts that the effectiveness  of the investigation was hindered by the initial delay. It also agrees  that the initial delay in the present case has been unusually protracted  and that it was attributable to the applicant. The question is whether  this delay was such as to render all the subsequent investigation ineffective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">68.\u00a0\u00a0In  previous cases the Court concluded that the delays in the opening of  proceedings which could have been attributable to the applicant were  insignificant in view of the subsequent protractions of the investigation  (see, for example, Mezhidov v. Russia, no. 67326\/01, \u00a7 69, 25 September 2008,  where the maximum delay attributable to the applicant constituted nine  months) or that there existed special reasons such as medical treatment  which could have explained a delay of two years and one month in submitting  the complaint (see Umayeva v. Russia, no.\u00a01200\/03, \u00a7 88, 4\u00a0December 2008).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">69.\u00a0\u00a0Turning  to the present case, the Court notes that the applicant\u2019s reference  to the medical treatment as well as other possible factors such as the  feelings of insecurity and vulnerability (see, mutatis mutandis, Mente\u015f and Others v. Turkey, 28 November 1997, \u00a7 59, 1997-VIII)  are relevant and account for some part of the time in question. However,  they fall short of explaining why the information about a crime so serious  as the applicant alleges reached the prosecutor\u2019s office with a delay  of three and a half years. The Court thus accepts that at least some  of the investigation\u2019s eventual problems resulted from the applicant\u2019s  failure to raise his complaint in due time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">70.\u00a0\u00a0At  the same time, it is important to note that the authorities have not  directly cited the passage of time as the reason for their subsequent  inactivity, nor was the applicant reproached for this in court or later  in the proceedings. Furthermore, the delays which occurred after May  2003 in the taking of the most important steps are not attributable  to the applicant. In particular, it remains unexplained as to why the  order of the Urus-Martan district court to resume the investigation was  not complied with for more than three years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">71.\u00a0\u00a0As  to the substance of the investigation, the Court notes that despite  the delays, some important investigative steps were taken in 2003 and  then in 2008. Thus, a number of eyewitnesses gave accounts of the circumstances  of the attack. The applicant was questioned on three occasions. A forensic  expert report was ordered, carried out and confirmed the applicant\u2019s  statements about the time and nature of his injuries. The applicant  was granted the status of a victim in the proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">72.\u00a0\u00a0However,  the Court also notes that although the applicant brought forward a serious  complaint \u2013 that of an attack at the village by a powerful and non-discriminatory  weapon \u2013 a number of elements in the documents submitted from the  investigation file, taken together, produce an impression of a series  of grave and unexplained failures to act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">73.\u00a0\u00a0First  and foremost, the Court is concerned that, on the one hand, in his submissions  before the Court the applicant consistently mentioned that parts of  the missiles which had hit the village were still present in 2003 and  2008 in some of the houses in Martan-Chu. In their submissions to the  Court in February 2009 the applicant, his mother and cousin insisted  that parts of one such device had been collected by the investigator  in the autumn of 2008 and submitted for an expert examination. On the  other hand, it notes the absence of any reference to this in the documents  produced by the Government. To the contrary, the Government allege that  the materials of the case file contain no reference to the \u201cGrad\u201d  projectiles or any other clue as to the nature of the explosive device  which had injured the applicant. The Court assumes that the documents  made available to it have been selected so as to demonstrate to the  maximum extent possible the effectiveness of the investigation in question.  It can therefore be said that no steps were taken to collect and examine  the parts in question, which should be regarded as a major failure of  the investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">74.\u00a0\u00a0In  view of its above findings about the failures of the investigation,  as well as their disregard for several years of the court order which  followed the applicant\u2019s complaint, the Court concludes that the applicant  should be considered to have exhausted the domestic remedies available  to him within the context of the criminal investigation. It therefore  dismisses the Government\u2019s preliminary objection in this respect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">75.\u00a0\u00a0Furthermore,  regardless of the initial delay attributable to the applicant, the Court  finds on the basis of what has been established above that the authorities  failed to carry out an effective investigation into the circumstances  of the applicant\u2019s injuries. There has therefore been a violation  of Article\u00a02 in this respect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3.\u00a0\u00a0 Alleged failure to protect the right  to life<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">76.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court reiterates that Article 2, which safeguards the right to life  and sets out the circumstances where deprivation of life may be justified,  ranks as one of the most fundamental provisions in the Convention, from  which in peacetime no derogation is permitted under Article 15. In the  light of the importance of the protection afforded by Article 2, the  Court must subject deprivations of life to the most careful scrutiny,  particularly where deliberate lethal force is used, taking into consideration  not only the actions of State agents who actually administer the force  but also all the surrounding circumstances including such matters as  the planning and control of the actions under examination (see McCann and Others, cited above, \u00a7\u00a7\u00a0146-150; Andronicou and Constantinou v. Cyprus, 9\u00a0October 1997, \u00a7 171, Reports 1997-VI; and O\u011fur\u00a0v. Turkey [GC], no.\u00a021594\/93, \u00a7\u00a078, ECHR 1999-III). The  same applies to an attack where the victim survives but which, because  of the lethal force used, amounted to attempted murder (see Isayeva and Others, cited above \u00a7\u00a0171).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">77.\u00a0\u00a0As  to the facts of the case, the Court notes that in order to be able to  assess the merits of the applicant\u2019s complaints and in view of the  nature of the allegations, it requested the Government to submit a copy  of the complete criminal investigation file in the present case. The  Government submitted some thirty-five pages of the file (see paragraph  31 above). The quantity and contents of the remaining documents were  not specified. The Court reiterates that the conduct of the parties  when evidence is being obtained has to be taken into account (see Ireland  v. the United Kingdom, pp. 64-65, \u00a7 161, Series A no.  25) and that it can draw inferences from the Government\u2019s conduct  in this respect. In so far as the Government mentioned Article 161 of  the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Court observes that in previous  cases it has found this explanation insufficient to justify the withholding  of key information requested by it (see Imakayeva v.\u00a0Russia, no. 7615\/02, \u00a7 123, ECHR 2006-XIII).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">78.\u00a0The  Court reiterates that, according to its settled case-law, the State  bears the burden of providing a plausible explanation for injuries and  deaths occurring to persons in custody or where individuals were found  injured or dead in areas under the exclusive control of the authorities  and there was prima facie evidence that State agents could be involved.  If in such situations the Court is prevented from reaching factual conclusions  owing to the lack of documents which are in the Government\u2019s exclusive  possession, it is for the Government to argue conclusively why the documents  in question cannot serve to corroborate the allegations made by the  applicants, or to provide a satisfactory and convincing explanation  of how the events in question occurred. The burden of proof is thus  shifted to the Government, and if they fail in their arguments issues  will arise under Article\u00a02 and\/or Article\u00a03 (see Akkum and Others v. Turkey, no.\u00a021894\/93, \u00a7\u00a0211, ECHR 2005-II; To\u011fcu v. Turkey, no.\u00a027601\/95, \u00a7\u00a095, 31 May 2005; Goygova v.\u00a0Russia, no. 74240\/01, \u00a7\u00a094, 4 October 2007;  and Goncharuk, cited above, \u00a7\u00a080).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">79.\u00a0\u00a0However,  in the present case the Court notes that the applicant\u2019s contention  of the attack in December 1999 being perpetrated by the State was for  the first time raised in March 2003. Even thought the Government acknowledged  that on 4 December 1999 the applicant received splinter wounds, they  denied that the State was responsible for it, because it was impossible  to establish the perpetrators of the injuries. They also stressed that  in their testimonies before the investigator none of the witnesses had  alleged that he or she had been aware of the identities of the perpetrators  or of the type of weapons used. The Government denied that any other  material traces of the crime had been identified by the investigators  once such proceedings started. Finally, the Government questioned the  reliability of the information notes issued by the Martan-Chu village  administration, in view of the inconsistencies between them (see paragraphs  20 and 22 above) and suggested that the applicant could have been injured  as the result of an explosion of a mine or of a shell launched by an  illegal armed group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">80.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court reiterates that the investigation was unable to come up with any  definitive answers explaining the origins of the explosion. Further  more, having regard to the fact as established above that the applicant  significantly contributed to the investigation\u2019s delay, the Court  does not find that he has made an arguable claim of the State\u2019s responsibility  for the attack in question. In such circumstances, it does not find  it possible to shift the burden of proof to the respondent Government.  Nor does it find that the evidence submitted by the parties is sufficient  to make the findings of a breach of Article 2 in its substantive limb  to the requisite standard of proof (see Zubayrayev v. Russia, no.\u00a067797\/01, \u00a7\u00a073, 10 January  2008, and Tovsultanova v. Russia, no. 26974\/06, \u00a7 88, 17 June 2010).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">81.\u00a0\u00a0Accordingly,  the Court finds no violation of the substantive limb of Article <\/span><a name=\"01000002\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> 2<\/span><a name=\"01000003\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> of the Convention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">II.\u00a0\u00a0ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE  3 OF THE CONVENTION<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">82.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant argued that the situation disclosed a violation of Article\u00a03,  in view of the suffering caused to him and also in view of the Government\u2019s  failure to carry out a proper investigation into his complaints. Article\u00a03  provides:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cNo one shall be subjected to torture or to  inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">83.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government disputed this complaint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">84.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court considers that the consequences described by the applicant were  a result of the use of lethal force the origins of which cannot be established.  Thus, whereas the Court considers that the complaint is admissible,  having regard to its above findings concerning the right to life it  does not find that any separate issues arise under Article <\/span><a name=\"01000004\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3  of the Convention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">III.\u00a0\u00a0ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE  6 OF THE CONVENTION<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">85.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant complained under Article 6 about unfairness of the proceedings  concerning his compensation claim in 2004 and during the review of his  complaint in 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">86.\u00a0\u00a0However,  in the light of all the material in its possession, and in so far as  the matters complained of are within its competence, the Court finds  that they do not disclose any appearance of a violation of this provision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">87.\u00a0\u00a0It  follows that this part of the application is manifestly ill-founded  and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 \u00a7\u00a7 3 (a) and 4  of the Convention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">IV.\u00a0\u00a0ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE  13 OF THE CONVENTION<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">88.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant submitted that he had no effective remedies in respect of  the violations alleged, contrary to Article 13 of the Convention. This  Article reads:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cEveryone whose rights and freedoms as set  forth in [the] Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy  before a national authority, notwithstanding that the violation has  been committed by persons acting in an official capacity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">89.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government disputed this complaint and argued that the applicant had  failed to use the domestic remedies available to him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">90.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court observes that the complaint made by the applicant under this Article  has been examined in the context of <\/span><a name=\"01000005\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">the procedural obligation  arising under Article <\/span><a name=\"01000006\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2 of the Convention. Having regard  to the findings of a violation of <\/span><a name=\"01000007\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Article <\/span><a name=\"01000008\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> 2 in its procedural aspect (see paragraph 75 above), the Court considers  that, whilst the complaint under Article 13 taken in conjunction with  Article 2 is admissible, there is no need for a separate examination  of this complaint on its merits (see Shaipova and Others v.\u00a0Russia, no.\u00a010796\/04, \u00a7 124, 6\u00a0November  2008; and Tovsultanova, cited above, \u00a7 115).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">V.\u00a0\u00a0APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE  CONVENTION<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">91.\u00a0\u00a0Article  41 of the Convention provides:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIf the Court finds that there has been a violation  of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law  of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation  to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction  to the injured party.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A.\u00a0\u00a0Pecuniary damage<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">92.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant claimed compensation for lost wages, as he had become incapable  of work as a result of the injuries. He claimed 2,069,740 Russian roubles  (RUB) under this heading.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">93.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government regarded this sum as unsubstantiated and unreasonable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">94.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court reiterates that there must be a clear causal connection between  the damage claimed by the applicant and the violation of the Convention,  and that this may, in an appropriate case, include compensation in respect  of loss of earnings. Having regard to its above conclusions that there  has been no violation of Article 2 in its substantive aspect, the Court  finds that there is no direct causal link between the alleged violation  of the applicant\u2019s right to life and the loss of income. Accordingly,  it makes no award under this head.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">B.\u00a0\u00a0Non-pecuniary damage<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">95.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant claimed that he had been wounded as a result of the unlawful  use of lethal force by the State and that no proper investigation of  the incident had been carried out. He asked for compensation for non-pecuniary  damage, the amount of which he left to the determination of the Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">96.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government denied the violations alleged, but considered that if the  Court was minded to find the violations such finding would be adequate  just satisfaction in the applicant\u2019s case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a name=\"01000009\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">97.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court has found a violation of the procedural aspect of Article\u00a02, and  finds it appropriate to award the applicant EUR\u00a024,000 in respect of  non-pecuniary damage, plus any tax that may be chargeable on this amount.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">C.\u00a0\u00a0Costs and expenses<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">98.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant claimed EUR\u00a09,110 for costs and expenses incurred before the  Court and before the domestic authorities. He submitted that the lawyer  had charged EUR\u00a0150 per hour of legal work. He presented a breakdown  of the time spent by his representative, which included 60.5 hours of  legal work. He claimed reimbursement of postal and administrative costs  in the amount of EUR 85. He also submitted a copy of the legal representation  agreement of 15 September 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">99.\u00a0\u00a0The  applicant requested the Court to order the payment of the fees awarded  under this heading directly into the representative\u2019s account in Chechnya,  Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">100.\u00a0\u00a0The  Government did not contest those claims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">101.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court may make an award in respect of costs and expenses in so far that  they have been actually and necessarily incurred and are reasonable  as to quantum (see Bottazzi v. Italy [GC], no. 34884\/97, \u00a7 30, ECHR 1999-V, and Sawicka v. Poland, no. 37645\/97, \u00a7 54, 1\u00a0October 2002). Making  its own estimate based on the information available, the Court awards  the applicant the total sum of EUR 4,000, less the EUR\u00a0850 he received  in legal aid from the Council of Europe, together with any value-added  tax that may be chargeable to the applicant. The award made under this  heading is to be paid into the representative\u2019s bank account in Russia,  as identified by the applicant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">D.\u00a0\u00a0Default interest<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">102.\u00a0\u00a0The  Court considers it appropriate that the default interest should be based  on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to which  should be added three percentage points.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT UNANIMOUSLY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1.\u00a0\u00a0Joins to the merits the Government\u2019s objection as to the  non-exhaustion of domestic remedies in respect of the complaint brought  under Article 2 of the Convention and rejects it;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2.\u00a0\u00a0Declares the complaints concerning the attack of 4 December  1999 and the absence of investigation thereof as submitted under Articles  2, 3 and 13 of the Convention admissible and the remainder of the application  inadmissible;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3.\u00a0\u00a0Holds that there has been a violation of Article\u00a02 of the Convention  in respect of the failure to conduct an effective investigation into  the circumstances of the attack of 4\u00a0December 1999;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">4.\u00a0\u00a0Holds that there has been no violation of Article 2 in respect  of the attack on the applicant;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">5.\u00a0\u00a0Holds that no separate issues arise under Article\u00a03 of the Convention;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">6.\u00a0\u00a0Holds that no separate issues arise under Article\u00a013 of the  Convention;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">7.\u00a0\u00a0Holds<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(a)\u00a0\u00a0that the respondent State is to pay  the applicant, within three months of the date on which the judgment  becomes final in accordance with Article\u00a044\u00a0\u00a7\u00a02 of the Convention, the  following amounts, to be converted into Russian roubles at the rate  applicable on the date of settlement:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(i)\u00a0EUR 24,000 (twenty-four thousand euros),  plus any tax that may be chargeable, in respect of non-pecuniary damage;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(ii)\u00a0EUR 3,150 (three thousand one hundred  and fifty euros), plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant,  in respect costs and expenses, to be paid into the representative\u2019s  bank account in Russia, as identified by the applicant;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(b)\u00a0\u00a0that from the expiry of the above-mentioned  three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the  above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European  Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">8.\u00a0\u00a0Dismisses the remainder of the applicant\u2019s claim for just  satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Done in English, and notified in writing  on 21 June 2011, pursuant to Rule 77 \u00a7\u00a7 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">S\u00f8ren Nielsen\u00a0Nina  Vaji\u0107\u00a0Registrar\u00a0President<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ECHR case of Nakayev v. Russia (applications no. 29846\/05).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[263,2005],"class_list":["post-8396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-echr-cases","tag-echr","tag-ibragim-nakayev"],"views":5148,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8398,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8396\/revisions\/8398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waynakh.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}