PARIS, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ordered Russia to pay 37,000 euros ($53,000) in compensation to the relatives of a Chechen man who was abducted in 2001.
Relatives of Khizir Tepsurkayev, abducted in Urus Martan in 2001, appealed to Russian law enforcement many times before filing a complaint with the Strasbourg court accusing Russia of failing to carry out an effective investigation to find the culprits.
The investigation established that Khizir was abducted by the Russian military conducting a security operation in the town that was under the full control of Russian federal forces.
The court said the Russian government had failed to submit any evidence to challenge this finding.
Russia has lost the majority of cases brought against it in the Strasbourg-based court. In 2008, the court ruled against Russia 245 times. Overall, around 20% of all complaints made to the court in the past decade have involved Russia.
Chechnya saw two brutal separatist wars in the 1990s and early 2000s. Security has improved in the North Caucasus republic, although violence involving militants remains a frequent occurrence.
