Today the Chechen representation of the Committee against Torture received the decision of the Grozniy garrison military tribunal ruling the inaction of special investigator of the Military Investigation Administration for the Joint Military Command lieutenant colonel Turbin unlawful due to his failure to submit copies of procedural documents under the criminal case about disappearances in course of “mopping-up” in Borozdinovskaya.  

The case about the events in Borozdinovskaya is in procedure in the Chechen representation of the Interregional Committee against Torture. You may remember that as a result of a military operation conducted by the Vostok battalion 11 civilians disappeared in that village.

While conducting a public investigation, on 14 July 2008 lawyers of the Interregional Committee against Torture sent a motion to investigator of the Military Investigation Administration for the Joint Military Command D.F. Turbin requesting a copy of the decision on suspension of criminal proceedings. The Committee against Torture received a copy of this decision only two months later in violation of applicants’ rights protected by law and in breach of the reasonable period for provision of documents. On
28 October 2008 the Committee lodged a complaint with the Grozniy garrison military tribunal in connection with investigator Turbin’s inaction. The court agreed with the viewpoint of human rights defenders and found the investigator’s inaction unlawful. During the court hearing the investigation authorities motivated the stoppage of proceedings saying that the suspects were fleeing from justice, at the same time they claimed that 11 vanished citizens had not disappeared but joined the armed gang.

However, according to the news report prepared by the call centre of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs after the special operation was conducted in Borozdinovskaya, the civilians were detained to check whether they were members of illegal armed units. Since that time, for more than 3 years now, it is not clear what happened to the victims.