The European Court of Human Rights hears first Chechen complaints against Russia(Prague Watchdog) - Five years after several citizens of the Chechen Republic or their relatives were subjected to crimes committed by the Russian military in Chechnya, and Russian courts failed to provide them justice, they managed to have their cases heard at the European human rights court.
Five Chechen women and one man allege that the Russian military tortured and summarily executed their relatives, and bombed and shelled civilians in late 1999 and early 2000 when the ongoing conflict in Chechnya errupted. The Russian authorities investigated the cases but it was all in vain.
Therefore, in April and May 2000 the victims and/or their relatives turned to the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR), which in December 2002 declared their complaints admissible.
Today's hearing became possible thanks to both the applicants' courage and joint efforts of the Moscow-based human rights organization Memorial, and the London-based European Human Rights Advocacy Centre that provided them with expert assistance.
The applicants' complaints assert that in 1999-2000 the Russian military violated several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, namely the right to life (Article 2), prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 3); the right to an effective remedy (Article 13); and protection of property (Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention).
Two applications concern allegations of torture and summary execution following the death of five of the applicants’ relatives in Grozny at the end of January 2000. The bodies of the applicants’ relatives were found with numerous gunshot wounds and the applicants allege that they were tortured and killed by the Russian armed forces.
Three of the applications arise out of the indiscriminate bombing of civilians fleeing Grozny in October 1999. As a result of the bombing, the first applicant was wounded and her two children and daughter-in-law were killed, the second applicant was wounded and the third applicant’s car containing her family’s possessions was destroyed.
The sixth application concerns allegations of indiscriminate bombing of the village of Katyr-Yurt on February 4, 2000. As a result of the bombing, the applicant’s son and her three nieces were killed.
These alleged crimes are just the tip of the iceberg of the human rights abuses that have been committed in Chechnya. There are reportedly about 120 such complaints sent to the ECHR and experts say that if the Court at today's hearing rules in favor of the applicants, it is almost certain that the number of complaints submitted by Chechens will sharply increase.
In line with ECHR’s tradition, today’s verdict will be publicly announced in a few weeks or months from now.
(T/E) RELATED ARTICLES:
· European Court of Human Rights to hear Chechen cases (PW, 30.10. 2004)
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