Judge of the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic Dmitry Petrovich Gorbovtsov applied a recusal with regard to the Musaeva’s case on the grounds that he had “certain friendly and business relationships with Zarema’s husband — former federal judge Saydi Yangulbaev. 

Photo of the ruling on recusal of judge D.P.Gorbovtsov. The Committee has a full image available.

For almost 3 months Zarema Musaeva is at Pre-Trial Detention Facility of Grozny. Lawyers with the Committee Against Torture are allowed to visit her, she is provided with necessary medical assistance. 

It has become known that on 25 March the General Prosecutor’s Office refused to provide information on Musaeva’s health to the ECHR, having referred to its being stable. Previously, the court obliged the Russian authorities to provide this data once in 2 weeks, confirming it with appropriate documents: report on medical assistance, the prescription list and conducted medical examinations. 

— We submitted our objections with this regard to the European Court, and the ECHR handed them over to the General Prosecutor’s Office of the RF, — lawyer with the international legal remedy department Elza Valieva comments. – The ruling on cancelling the injunctive remedies is taken by the court based on the analysis of the applicant’s situation development. In this case, the General Prosecutor’s Office should have asked to cancel the injunctive remedies, having justified its stance instead of unilateral refusal to provide the documentation. This is a violation by the Russian authorities. 

— In fact, the investigative authorities of the Nizhny Novgorod region acknowledged their helplessness. We shall appeal against their inaction, but all the crime reports in Zarema Musaeva’s case are either forwarded to Chechnya or treated as usual applications, — lawyer with the Nizhny Novgorod department of investigations Sergey Shounin comments.

At the present time, the lawyers sent by the Committee Against Torture are working in Grozny. Zarema Musaeva remains at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility by the court ruling at least till 27 April, after that the court will review the measure of restraint, again.