The European Court of Human Rights will rule on a case regarding the disappearance of two family members in
In mid-December 2000 Said-Khusein was driving to his home in Novye Atagi when he was detained by Russian forces at a roadblock. Several witnesses saw him being forced into a military vehicle that drove off in the direction of Novye Atagi. He has not been seen since, and the Russian authorities have failed to hold anyone accountable for his disappearance.
In February 2002 Said-Khusein’s parents, Said-Magomed and Marzet Imakayev, assisted by the Stichting Russian Justice Initiative, filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights. Four months later Said-Magomed was detained at his home by a group of armed men, and subsequently disappeared. The Russian government admits that Said-Magomed was detained by government forces, but maintains that he was released the same day. Marzet was later subjected to intimidating interrogations by the Russian authorities regarding her application to the Court.
The detention and disappearance of Said-Magomed Imakayev is a particularly egregious example of the kind of intimidation Chechen applicants face in their pursuit of accountability for human rights violations committed by federal forces in
In October 2004, the Court gave priority to all cases from
For more details on the case:
IHF and NHC: The Silencing of Human Rights Defenders in Chechnya and Ingushetia
Human Rights Watch: The 'Dirty War' in Chechnya: Forced Disappearances, Torture and Summary Executions