European Court demanded from Russian government information about abducted man

HRC Memorial has already informed that in summer of 2009 number of crimes connected with abductions, disappearances and killings of Dagestan residents increased radically (http://groups.google.com/group/hrcmemorialeng/browse_thread/thread/f3a319748da56646?hl=en).

The beginning of September didn't appear less "hot". On September 6, 2009, Mirza Kasimov, Derbent resident, was abducted. On September 8, we received information about the abduction of Rashid Gasanov from Makhachkala. On the same day unidentified people in masks abducted Sirajudin Shafiev in broad daylight in Derbent. Since September 9, Magomed Sheikhov from Makhachkala has been missing. In the evening of that day Sirajudin Umarov, Derbent resident, went to meet a police officer and didn't come back. All these people disappeared without a trace.

Relatives of the abducted agree that officers of Dagestan law enforcement authorities are responsible for the crimes. However, authorities deny it. The fact of the crime is obvious and investigating authorities open criminal cases. This is where the reaction of the authorities stops. As of September 16, 2009, none of such crimes had been investigated.

Indignation of Dagestan residents sometimes lead to actions of protest (http://groups.google.com/group/hrcmemorialeng/browse_thread/thread/8b3c68d8ce5de044?hl=en#). But the actions have been put down with truncheons. Members of riot squads demonstrated it on September 8, in Derbent when put down the meeting of the relatives of abducted Shafiev.

It's obvious that people have lost hope on the fact that the authorities of their own country don't want to investigate the crimes and won't do that. So people look for justice using international mechanisms.

Shafiev's relatives with collaboration of HRC Memorial lawyers applied to European Court of Human rights (ECHR). On September 15, 2009, ECHR demanded from Russian authorities to answer some questions about measures taken to find Shafiev, his location, reasons of his detention etc. The information is expected by September 21, 2009.

ECHR also demanded from Russian government the copies of all the documents regarding measures that the government takes to find Shafiev or the place where he is being held if he was arrested by governmental agents.

For more information (in Russian) visit Memorial site: http://www.memo.ru/2009/09/17/1709092.htm

September 18, 2009