08 March 2019, 23:55

Since 2001, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has made over 250 decisions on complaints about violent disappearances of residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia, the lawyers of the "Legal Initiative" Project and the Ingush branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" have stated. The ECtHR's decision on the disappearance of 17 residents of these republics has already entered into force.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 4, 2018, the ECtHR decided on ten cases about the disappearance of 17 residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia detained in 2002-2004. The Russian authorities must pay their relatives over a million euros of compensation for moral harm.

According to the lawyer Olga Gnezdilova, since 2001, the "Legal Initiative" has sent 331 complaints on violent disappearances, but the number of missing persons is higher.

The Ingush branch of the HRC "Memorial" is also helping relatives of those who disappeared in Chechnya and Ingushetia during the 1999 Chechen war. According to the HRC's lawyer, Isa Gandarov, since 2003, he has run about 100 cases at the ECtHR concerning residents of Ingushetia, of which 70 have already been won and 30 more are pending.

He has also clarified that about 30% of the total number of recognized victims left Northern Caucasus for Europe, the remaining ones are still in Ingushetia.

According to Ms Gnezdilova, most applicants are now in Russia. She has noted that "some applicants have already died", not waiting for the ECtHR's decision.