CEDH · CASELAW;JUDGMENTS;CHAMBER;ENG — 7 octobre 2010

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margin-left:17pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-17pt; text-align:justify } .sD66C1369 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:17.3pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s60723A49 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:39.7pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s81CCF55C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:17pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-indent:-17pt; text-align:justify } .s48DB3670 { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:36pt; text-indent:14.2pt; text-align:justify; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s7CB9076 { margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:0pt; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s507451D6 { width:4.53pt; display:inline-block } .s4A0CEAF8 { width:194.77pt; display:inline-block } .s7602FED2 { width:18.21pt; display:inline-block } .sC1AC44A4 { width:228.11pt; display:inline-block }     FIRST SECTION                     CASE OF SADYKOV v. RUSSIA   (Application no. 41840/02)           JUDGMENT     STRASBOURG   7 October 2010   FINAL   21/02/2011   This judgment has become final under Article 44 § 2 (c) of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Sadykov v. Russia, The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:   Christos Rozakis, President,   Nina Vajić,   Anatoly Kovler,   Elisabeth Steiner,   Khanlar Hajiyev,   Giorgio Malinverni,   George Nicolaou, judges, and Søren Nielsen, Section Registrar , Having deliberated in private on 16 September 2010, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.     The case originated in an application (no. 41840/02) against the Russian Federation lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Russian national, Mr Alaudin Magomedovich Sadykov (“the applicant”), on 15 February 2001. 2.     The applicant, who had been granted legal aid, was represented by lawyers of the Stichting Russian Justice Initiative, an NGO based in the Netherlands with a representative office in Russia. The Russian Government (“the Government”) were initially represented by Mr P. Laptev, former Representative of the Russian Federation at the European Court of Human Rights, and subsequently by their Representative, Mr G. Matyushkin. 3.     The applicant complained, in particular, that he had been severely ill-treated while in detention and that no adequate investigation had been carried out into the matter. He further complained about damage caused to his property and a lack of effective remedies in connection with those violations of his rights. The applicant relied on Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention. 4.     On 29 August 2004 the President of the First Section decided to grant priority to the application under Rule 41 of the Rules of Court. 5.     By a decision of 22 January 2009, the Court declared the application partly admissible. 6.     The applicant and the Government each filed further written observations (Rule 59 § 1). THE FACTS I.     THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE 7.     The applicant was born in 1950 and lives in Grozny. A.     The facts 8.     According to the applicant, he experiences difficulties in reconstructing the events during and following his detention coherently and chronologically. On account of his ill-treatment in custody, the applicant suffers from memory lapses. He also finds it psychologically difficult to recall the details of the abusive treatment he was subjected to in detention. 9.     The applicant owned real estate consisting of a house and outhouses at 94 Flotskaya Street, the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny. At the material time he lived there alone, since his relatives had left the Chechen Republic after the renewal of hostilities in October 1999. The applicant remained in Grozny to look after the house and other possessions. The latter comprised personal belongings of the applicant and his relatives, furniture, an audio system, a satellite dish, two Subaru vehicles and an Oldsmobile car. Between late 1999 and early 2000 the applicant lived in the house only occasionally because of frequent attacks. From late January 2000 onwards he lived there permanently. 10.     At the material time the applicant, a school teacher by profession, was working in a “burial group” ( группа захоронения ) for the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Situations of the Chechen Republic ( Министерство Чеченской Республики по делам гражданской обороны и чрезвычайным ситуация ). He was also helping the residents of the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny to obtain drinking water and food. 1.     Events between 5 March and 24 May 2000 (a)     The applicant's account (i)     The applicant's arrest 11.     On 5 March 2000, at around 10 a.m., the applicant was distributing drinking water among the residents of the Oktyabrskiy District when a group of federal servicemen in two UAZ vehicles arrived and enquired as to how they could get to a certain street. The applicant and some other residents explained to them how to find that street, but the commander of the group asked the applicant to come with them and show them the way. The applicant agreed. The applicant submitted eyewitness statements by two residents of the Oktyabrskiy District confirming the above-mentioned episode. 12.     When the servicemen arrived at the street they were looking for, the applicant asked them to let him out. Instead, the military hit the applicant in the kidneys and put a bag over his head. They ordered him to be silent and delivered him to the Temporary Office of the Interior of the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny (“the Oktyabrskiy VOVD”, временный отдел внутренних дел Октябрьского района г. Грозного ). According to the applicant, the officers who apprehended him could not know his identity because they did not check his identity papers. (ii)     The applicant's detention on 5 March 2000 13.     At the Oktyabrskiy VOVD the officers intimidated and ill-treated the applicant for several hours. In particular, they severely beat him, cut his hair and forced him to chew and swallow it, pressed a red-hot nail into his hands, forehead, nostrils and tongue and carved a derogatory word “Chichik” on his forehead with a nail or knife. 14.     The officers also questioned the applicant, but made no written record of the interrogation. They asked the applicant where he had fought as a rebel fighter and why there was a list of names in his pocket. The applicant replied that he was a teacher, had never fought and that the list included the residents of the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny to whom he distributed water. It appears that the officers did not believe him. They told him that he would not leave the premises of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD alive. 15.     The officers then took the applicant down to a basement, stood him against the wall and started shooting around him. They told him that he should “wait a little longer to die” and that they had not “[had] enough of mocking him yet” and took a break. 16.     Some time later they returned to the basement with several other officers and started “playing football” with the applicant. They spent about two hours knocking him off his feet, kicking him and throwing him onto the concrete floor. From time to time the applicant lost consciousness, but the officers brought him round. According to the applicant, he lost most of his teeth and his ribs, jaw, arm and leg were broken as a result of this treatment. (iii)     Search of the applicant's house on 5 March 2000 17.     At around 5 p.m. one of the officers suggested that they go to the applicant's place of residence and “seize his firearms” whereupon a group of about eleven officers in two UAZ vehicles went there. The applicant was put into the boot of one of the cars. 18.     When they arrived the police ordered the applicant to unlock all the doors in the house and started searching. The search lasted for a few hours. The officers entered all the rooms, the basement and the garage and climbed up onto the roof. The applicant maintained that he was unable to keep an eye on all the officers at the same time. At some point during the search one of the officers called the applicant into the corridor, showed him an object, which resembled a piece of soap and later turned out to be a TNT block, and asked what it was. The officer claimed that he had found the object on a shelf. The applicant replied that he was unable to identify the object, as it was the first time he had seen it. 19.     After the search the applicant was put into the boot again and escorted to the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. There he was chained to a heater. (iv)     The applicant's detention between 6 and 10 March 2000 20.     The applicant spent the next two days chained to the heater pending the construction of a new cell. 21 .     On one of those days the investigator, Mr P., interviewed the applicant. He enquired as to where the applicant had obtained the TNT block. The applicant denied that he had ever possessed explosives and insisted that the TNT block had been planted in his house during the search on 5 March 2000. The investigator then called two masked men, who beat the applicant until he lost consciousness. Later that day the two men returned and beat him again. The applicant said that during the next two days he coughed up blood and was unable to get up. 22.     On around 7 March 2000 the officers twice put the applicant into the boot of a police car and drove him around for some time. 23 .     On 7 March 2000 the applicant was transferred to a newly constructed cell. Some time later another detainee, Mr K., was placed in the applicant's cell and two detainees in the adjacent one. 24.     On 10 March 2000 an investigator informed the applicant that an expert study of the object found in his house had confirmed that it contained explosives. The investigator did not show the expert examination report to the applicant. (v)     Incident of 11 March 2000 25 .     On 11 March 2000, in the evening, two servicemen approached the applicant's cell and ordered a guard to open it. The guard, who appeared to be afraid of the men, complied with the order. According to the applicant, the men were drunk and one of them was wearing a mask. They started beating the applicant. After a while one of the men put his foot on the applicant, who was lying on the floor, took a knife and cut off his left ear. He also declared that he would cut off the applicant's head and made a scratch on the applicant's throat. In the applicant's submission, the man had a horseshoe-shaped moustache. Then another man entered the cell and took pictures of the bleeding applicant and his cut ear. According to the applicant, the man who took pictures was of Uzbek origin, his first name was Andrey and he served as a guard at the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 26.     The applicant submitted statements by his cellmate who had witnessed the applicant's ill-treatment. The applicant further referred to a statement of the then Mayor of Grozny, Bislan Gantamirov, who claimed in an interview with a regional weekly newspaper Groznenskiy Rabochiy (17 ‑ 24 May 2000) that he had “a witness who had seen the deputy head of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD cut off the ear of one of the Chechen detainees”. 27.     Then the officers left and entered the adjacent cell in which two other detainees were being held. According to the applicant, he heard screams and moans which became fainter and then died out. The applicant never saw those detainees again. (vi)     The applicant's detention between 12 and 18 March 2000 28.     Early on 12 March 2000, when the applicant and his cellmate were asleep, the guards forced them to get up, put bags over their heads and escorted them to a small room. Several hours later the applicant and his cellmate were returned to their cell which had been thoroughly cleaned. The applicant saw the other cell because its doors were wide open. It was also clean and there were no detainees there. In the applicant's opinion, the Oktyabrskiy VOVD authorities were hiding him and other detainees from a commission that was visiting police stations to inspect the treatment of detainees. 29.     On around 13 March 2000 an official from the Grozny prosecutor's office ( прокуратура г. Грозного ), Mr L., visited the applicant and warned him not to disclose the fact that he had lost his ear in detention. Instead, the applicant was told to state that his ear had been cut off by rebel fighters. 30.     On around 16 March 2000 a medical officer, whose first name was Gennadiy, visited the applicant. He put some ointment on the applicant's ear wound, but did not bandage it. Nether did he examine the applicant or treat his other injuries. According to the applicant, he was attended by medical officers on several occasions while in detention, but never underwent a medical examination or received proper treatment for his ear. (vii)     The applicant's detention between 19 March and 24 May 2000 31.     On around 19 March 2000 the applicant was transferred to the basement of another building of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, where he was kept until his release on 24 May 2000. 32.     The basement was divided into two rooms. One of them, measuring approximately 48 square metres (8   m   x   6   m), was used as a torture chamber and contained various instruments, including an axe, a hammer, a sledgehammer, a shovel and scissors. According to the applicant, he was ordered to clean the room once and noticed bloodstains even on the ceiling which was 3m high. 33.     The other room, measuring approximately 9 square metres (3 m x 3   m), was a cell. During the applicant's detention twelve to fifteen detainees were kept there. The applicant stated that on numerous occasions the detainees were taken to the adjacent room and tortured. He could hear them screaming. Sometimes the door between the two rooms was left open and the applicant could see his cellmates being severely ill-treated. They returned to the cell severely beaten, two of them had their fingers missing and another detainee was brought back unconscious. 34.     On several occasions the investigator interrogated the applicant about the object allegedly found in his house on 5 March 2000. The applicant was forced to sign a confession stating that the object in question belonged to him. The investigator also questioned the applicant about the activities of his neighbours. No transcript of those interrogations was ever made. 35.     From time to time the guards took the applicant out of his cell to another room for a short period of time, apparently when inspections occurred, and then brought him back. (viii)     Search for the applicant 36.     At some point in March 2000 the applicant's sister, Ms L. S., and his cousin, Ms Kh. Z., found out that the applicant had disappeared. They returned to Grozny and started searching for him. 37.     They applied in person and in writing to a military commander's office, the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, the local administration, the detention centre in Chernokozovo, the federal military base in Khankala and a morgue, but to no avail. 38.     Some time later the applicant's sister received information that he had been seen in the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. In the following weeks the applicant's sister and cousin unsuccessfully applied to the Oktyabrskiy VOVD with enquiries about the applicant. 39.     At some point in April 2000 the applicant's relatives finally managed to talk to the investigator in charge, who told them that the police had found explosives in the applicant's house. Ms L. S. answered that it was untrue and that her brother had never participated in military actions. The applicant's relatives then requested permission to see the applicant, but this was refused. However, they were allowed to send him a note and fresh clothes. The applicant's old clothes were returned to the applicant's sister, who checked them and saw blood on the shoulder and back of the applicant's shirt. 40.     In the following weeks the applicant's relatives unsuccessfully requested authorisation to see the applicant. 41.     On 12 May 2000 new police officers arrived from the Khanty-Mansiysk Region of Russia and replaced the staff of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. Several days later Ms L. S. and Ms Kh. Z. were allowed to see the applicant for ten minutes in the presence of an investigating officer. They were ordered to speak Russian only. According to them, the applicant was swollen, had lots of scars and one of his ears was missing. (ix)     The applicant's release 42.     On 24 May 2000 an investigator of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD issued a decision to discontinue criminal proceedings in case no. 14206/03 instituted against the applicant for unlawful possession of explosives. The decision stated that the applicant had not lived in his house on a regular basis because of the hostilities and that for some time the house had been occupied by unknown armed men who might have brought the explosives which the applicant had then unintentionally kept. Besides this, the decision stated that “having been kept in detention, the applicant ceased to pose a danger to society” and could be released. It also explained the applicant's right to appeal against that decision to a prosecutor or in court. 43.     Later that day the applicant was released and returned home. According to eyewitness statements, the applicant was in a very poor condition, being swollen, emaciated and pale, and with his left ear and teeth missing and his hip broken. (b)     The Government's account 44.     According to the Government, on 5 March 2000 the Criminal Investigation Division of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD instituted criminal proceedings in case no. 14206/03 against the applicant on suspicion of having committed a criminal offence punishable under Article   222 (unlawful possession of firearms and explosives) of the Russian Criminal Code. 45.     During a search which was carried out in the applicant's house pursuant to an investigator's order of 5 March 2000 an explosive was found and seized. According to an expert report, which was communicated to the applicant, the explosive was a 200-gram TNT block. 46.     On the same date the applicant was arrested pursuant to Article 122 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 47.     On 6 March 2000 the case was sent to another division of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD for further investigation. 48.     On 8 March 2000 the acting prosecutor of Grozny ordered the applicant to be remanded in custody, in accordance with Article 90 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 49.     On 15 March 2000 formal charges were brought against the applicant under Article 222 of the Russian Criminal Code. When questioned, the applicant was unable to give any explanation concerning the explosive found in his house. 50.     On 24 May 2000 the Oktyabrskiy VOVD discontinued the criminal proceedings against the applicant with reference to Article 6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, notably because he had ceased to pose a danger to society, and released him. 51.     On 2 August 2002 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic ( прокуратура Чеченской Республики ) set aside the decision of 24 May 2000 and ordered that the criminal proceedings against the applicant be resumed. 52.     By a decision of 20 February 2006 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic terminated the criminal proceedings against the applicant on the ground that the constituent elements of a crime had not been made out. The decision stated, in particular, that the search carried out in the applicant's house on 5 March 2000 had not been duly authorised and had been conducted in breach of procedural law with the result that the TNT block allegedly found during that search could not be regarded as reliable evidence of the applicant's involvement in the imputed offence, and that therefore there had been no grounds on which to bring criminal proceedings against him. 2.     Official investigation into the applicant's allegation of ill-treatment (a)     The applicant's complaints to public bodies and information received by him 53.     Shortly after his release, the applicant started complaining personally and in writing to various official bodies about his unlawful arrest and detention, ill-treatment in custody and the search of his house. Subsequently he complained to prosecutors offices at various levels of the ineffectiveness of the investigation, indicated the names of the perpetrators established during the investigation and requested that they be brought to justice. The applicant's efforts were supported by the SRJI and his lawyer. According to the applicant, his complaints mostly remained unanswered, or only formal responses were given by which the respective requests were forwarded to various prosecutor's offices “for examination”. 54.     In particular, on an unspecified date he applied in writing to the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia, the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic, the Minister of the Interior of the Chechen Republic and two other high-ranking officials. In his complaint the applicant described in detail the events of 5   March to 24 May 2000 and requested that those responsible be punished. 55.     On 23 October 2000 the Representative for Rights and Freedoms in Russia ( Уполномоченный по правам человека в Российской Федерации ) declined to examine the applicant's complaint on the ground that it was unclear and not supported by relevant documents. 56.     On 1 March 2001 the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia referred the applicant's complaint to the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic. 57.     In a letter of 22 March 2001 the military prosecutor of military unit no.   20102 ( военная прокуратура – войсковая часть 20102 ) forwarded the applicant's complaint, along with several other applications, to the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic. 58.     On 22 March and 16 April 2001 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic transmitted the applicant's complaints concerning his unlawful detention “by unidentified servicemen” to the Grozny prosecutor's office. 59.     On 4 and 25 July 2001 respectively the applicant complained in writing to the Administration of the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny and to the Grozny prosecutor's office of the theft of his Oldsmobile car by police officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 60 .     On 13 July 2001 Médecins Sans Frontières issued the applicant with a medical certificate which listed the after-effects of the injuries inflicted on him during his detention. It stated that a medical examination of the applicant on 13 July 2001 had revealed the following: “–     [The applicant] wears dentures which replace teeth 12 to 17, 22 to 27, 33 to 35, 42 to 45. The original teeth were broken during his detention. –     The bridge of the nose is crooked, suggesting a possible set fracture. –     The left ear lobe is missing, and, while the auditory canal is not obstructed, the hearing capacity of the left ear is diminished. A shiny scar is visible, which extends 6   cm from the external auditory canal towards the bottom part of the lower jaw and 5   cm towards the mastoid bone and slightly beyond. –     A star-shaped scar is present on the palm of the right hand, suggesting a non-transfixiant burn or wound. It is located opposite the 4 th metacarpal. –     At the palpation of ribs 8, 9 and 10 facing the interior arc, are located still sensitive bone calluses, likely resulting from clean rib fractures. –     At the palpation of the top of the lower 1/3 tibia of the right leg is a discrete bone callus which could be connected to a non-displaced fracture or an incomplete fracture of the tibia.” 61.     On 27 July 2001 the applicant lodged a written complaint with the Grozny prosecutor's office, describing the circumstances of his arrest, detention and ill-treatment, and the theft of his property, and requested that those responsible be punished. 62.     On 28 July 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office forwarded the applicant's complaints to the Oktyabrskiy VOVD for investigation. 63.     On 8 August 2001 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic forwarded the applicant's complaint concerning his ill-treatment to the Grozny prosecutor's office for examination. 64.     On 19 December 2001 and 29 January 2002 the SRJI, acting on the applicant's behalf, submitted similar complaints about the events of 5   March to 24 May 2000 to the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic. 65.     In a letter of 3 January 2002, in reply to the SRJI's query, the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic stated that criminal proceedings had been instituted in connection with the applicant's allegations of ill-treatment in the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. The letter did not indicate the date on which the criminal proceedings had been instituted or the number assigned to the criminal case file. 66.     On 13 April 2002 the applicant made a written request to the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic for copies of a number of documents from his case file. It does not appear that this request was granted. 67.     In letters of 23 August and 26 October 2005, 25 September 2006 and 22 January 2009 the applicant was informed that criminal proceedings had been instituted in cases opened in connection with his complaints (see paragraphs 137, 139, 145 and 153 below). (b)     Course of the investigation 68.     According to the Government, on 30 June 2000 the applicant complained to the Grozny prosecutor's office that he had been unlawfully apprehended on 5 March 2000, and ill-treated while in detention, by officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 69.     On 13 July 2000 the Grozny prosecutor's office instituted criminal proceedings in the above connection under Article 286 § 3 (aggravated abuse of power) of the Russian Criminal Code. The case file was given the number 12088. 70 .     In the Government's submission, the applicant was granted victim status on 18 July 2000 and questioned on 17 July 2000, 25 August and 19   October 2001, 3 December 2003, 16 and 23 April and 1 November 2004. He confirmed his version of events and stated that he had not applied to medical institutions after his release. 71 .     On 13 August 2000 the investigating authorities suspended the criminal proceedings for failure to identify those responsible. 72.     On 24 August 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office ordered that the investigation be resumed. 73.     On 30 August 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office instituted criminal proceedings under Article 158 § 2 (aggravated theft) of the Russian Criminal Code in connection with the theft by unidentified persons of an Oldsmobile car belonging to the applicant. The case file was assigned the number 15082 (see paragraph 97 below). 74.     By a decision of 5 September 2001 the investigator in charge joined criminal cases nos. 12088 and 15082 under the former number (see paragraph 98 below). 75.     Between 24 September 2001 and 18 July 2002 the criminal proceedings were stayed and resumed on eight occasions (see paragraphs 124 and 125 below). On the latter date the deputy prosecutor of Grozny ordered that criminal case no. 12088 be joined to two other criminal cases concerning abduction by officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD and the disappearance of several individuals. 76.     On 18 October 2002 the investigation was stayed for failure to identify the alleged perpetrators, and then resumed on 15 November 2002. 77 .     By a decision of 19 May 2003 the investigator in charge brought charges under Article 293 § 2 (aggravated negligence of official duties) of the Russian Criminal Code against Mr Z., who at the relevant time was the head of the convoy group of the temporary holding facility of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD (“the IVS of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD”). On the same date the investigator ordered that Mr Z. be banned from leaving the place and put on the federal wanted list. 78.     On 20 August 2003 the investigation was stayed pending the search for Mr Z. (see paragraphs 126-130 below), and then resumed on 26   November 2003. 79.     Between 3 December 2003 and 7 February 2006 the investigation was stayed owing to the failure to establish Mr Z.'s whereabouts and then reopened twelve times (see paragraphs 131-136, 138 and 140-142 below). 80 .     On 20 February 2006 the investigator brought charges under Articles   283 § 3 (c) (aggravated abuse of power) and 111 § 3 (aggravated deliberate infliction of serious damage on another's health) of the Russian Criminal Code against Mr D., who at the material time had been the deputy commander of the special fire team ( специальная огневая группа ) of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. Mr D. was banned from leaving his place of residence and put on the wanted list. 81 .     On 25 February 2006, further to the decision of 19 May 2003, charges under Article 283 § 3 (a) and (c) (aggravated abuse of power) of the Russian Criminal Code were brought against Mr Z. 82 .     By a decision of 2 March 2006 the investigator in charge banned Mr   Ya., a suspect in the case, who at the material time had been the deputy head of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, from leaving his place of residence and put him on the wanted list. On 6 March 2006 a similar decision was taken in respect of Mr B., a suspect in the case, who at the relevant period had been the head of the IVS of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 83.     Between 7 March 2006 and 9 January 2007 the proceedings were suspended for failure to establish the whereabouts of the suspects and accused and resumed on four occasions (see paragraphs 143-148 below). 84 .     According to the Government, on 16 March 2007 Mr B. was formally charged with abuse of power. On being questioned in that connection Mr B. denied all the charges and expressed his wish to avail himself of an Amnesty Act, following which the criminal proceedings against him were discontinued on 20 March 2007. 85.     Between 28 May 2007 and 19 January 2009 the investigation was stayed, for failure to establish the whereabouts of the suspects and accused, and resumed six times (see paragraphs 149-153 below). 86.     On the latest occasion the investigation was stayed on 21 February 2009 on grounds of the impossibility of continuing the investigation in the absence of Messrs Z., D. and B., whose whereabouts could not be established. 87 .     The Government submitted that a number of investigative measures had been taken during the investigation. In particular, the authorities had interviewed a number of police officers serving in the Oktyabrskiy VOVD at the relevant time. The Government maintained that Mr P., who had been seconded to Grozny as a senior inquiry officer, had stated that when being questioned during his detention the applicant had submitted that four or five unknown persons had cut off his ear the day before he had been apprehended. Mr P. also stated that the applicant had received the necessary medical aid during his detention (see paragraphs 184-186 below). According to the Government, Mr Dub., who had been the acting head of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD at the relevant time, gave similar oral testimony about the existence of bodily injuries on the applicant at the time when he had been apprehended (see paragraph 199 below). Mr Kir., who had been an officer of the IVS of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD at the relevant time, stated that he had learnt from the applicant that his ear had been cut off a day or two prior to his detention by unknown members of illegal armed groups in reprisal for the applicant's refusal to cooperate with them (see paragraph 201 below). Similar submissions were made by Mr Ya., the then deputy head of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD (see paragraph 202 below). According to the Government, the latter had also been interviewed on 11 April 2007 in connection with the theft of the applicant's Oldsmobile car, but had denied his involvement in that offence. 88.     The Government stated that the authorities had also questioned a number of other officers who had served in the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, and individuals who had been detained there, in 2000. They all said that they had no information concerning the alleged perpetrators. On 4 September and 9 October 2001 and on 15 November 2004 the investigating authorities also found and interviewed Mr K., who had shared a cell with the applicant. He stated that he had seen unknown individuals enter the cell in which he and the applicant were kept and cut off the applicant's ear (see paragraphs 181-183 below). According to the Government, when being shown photographs of the presumed perpetrators the applicant and Mr K. had identified different persons. 89.     The Government also stated, without indicating the date, that during the investigation the applicant had undergone a forensic medical examination. According to them, this recorded the presence of bodily injuries, including the loss of hearing in the left ear, which were classified as serious damage to health, and other injuries which were classified as moderately serious damage to health. 3.     The applicant's property (a)     Damage caused to the applicant's property 90 .     According to the applicant, upon his return home on 24 May 2000 he saw that his dog had been shot, his house partly burnt and his property, comprising his personal belongings and those of his relatives, furniture, an audio system, a satellite dish, looted. Nothing of value remained in the house. The applicant's two Subaru vehicles and his Oldsmobile car were missing. Later, he found out from his neighbours that while he had been in custody, masked men driving one of his Subaru cars, an Ural truck and an armoured personnel carrier had come to his house on numerous occasions and taken away his property. The men had warned the applicant's neighbours to stay away from his house, saying that they had mined it. 91 .     On an unspecified date the applicant drew up a report listing items of property that had been stolen during his detention and indicating that the pecuniary damage sustained amounted to 158,120 United States dollars (USD). The report was certified by the administration of the Oktyabrskiy District of Grozny. 92.     Some time later the applicant found one of his Subaru vehicles. The minivan was parked in a street close to the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. The car had been disassembled and burnt. According to the applicant, he also found his satellite dish on the territory of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, and he saw some of items of his stolen property in the possession of some officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 93 .     Late in June 2000 the applicant found his Oldsmobile in the possession of a former officer of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, Mr Dzh. The latter claimed that he had purchased a share of the car, with several other officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, whose names were V., Sh. and Sulumbek, Khimzan and Ruslan, from federal servicemen for USD 500. The officers stated that they would only return the car to the applicant in exchange for the same sum of money as they had paid for it. The applicant refused to pay and lodged complaints about the looting of his property and seizure of his Oldsmobile car with various official bodies. According to him, Mr Dzh. eventually sold the vehicle. 94.     On 11 October 2000 the applicant obtained a certificate confirming that his house and outhouses had been burnt and destroyed. (b)     Criminal proceedings 95.     In a letter of 5 January 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office ordered the Oktyabrskiy VOVD to transfer to it the materials in a criminal case instituted in connection with the theft of the applicant's Oldsmobile vehicle for supervision by the prosecutor's office in the course of the investigation. The letter did not indicate the date on which the criminal case had allegedly been opened. 96.     On 15 August 2001 the deputy head of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD forwarded to the Grozny prosecutor's office the material concerning “the unlawful seizure by officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD of an Oldsmobile car from [the applicant]”. 97 .     On 30 August 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office instituted criminal proceedings under Article 158   §   2   (c)   and   (d) (aggravated theft) of the Russian Criminal Code in connection with the theft of the applicant's Oldsmobile vehicle. The case file was given the number 15082. The decision stated that “there was information to the effect that the offence had been committed by officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD. 98 .     In a decision of 5 September 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office joined case no. 12088 concerning the ill-treatment of the applicant and case no. 15082 concerning the theft of his car under the former number, stating that the said two offences had been committed by the same persons. 99.     In a letter of 30 August 2001 the Grozny prosecutor's office informed the applicant that criminal proceedings had been brought in connection with his complaint about the theft of his Oldsmobile and that the investigation was under way. The prosecutor's office did not specify the date on which the criminal proceedings had been instituted or the number assigned to the criminal case. 100 .     On 23 August 2005 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic instituted criminal proceedings under Article 158 § 2 (a) and (c) (aggravated theft) of the Russian Criminal Code in connection with the theft of the applicant's Subaru car which had been established during the investigation in case no. 12088. The decision stated that the said vehicle had been stolen from the applicant's courtyard in late March 2000 by an unidentified group of police officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD seconded to the Chechen Republic from the Khanty-Mansiysk Region. The case file was given the number 61856 and joined to case no. 12088 on the same date. 101.     On 23 August 2005 the prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic also instituted criminal proceedings under Articles 158   §   3 (aggravated theft) and 167 § 1 (deliberate destruction of another's property) of the Russian Criminal Code in connection with the theft and destruction by unidentified persons of the applicant's possessions, including a Subaru minivan. The case file was assigned the number 61857 (see paragraphs 206-214 below). 102 .     By a decision of 20 February 2009 the investigator ordered that the materials initially relating to cases nos. 15082 and 61856 be disjoined from case no. 12088, stating that they contained evidence of offences punishable under Articles 158 § 4 (b) (aggravated theft) and 167 § 1 (deliberate destruction of another's property) of the Russian Criminal Code and that they were not related to the offences under investigation in case no. 12088. The decision ordered that a new set of criminal proceedings be instituted under the aforementioned Articles of the Russian Criminal Code and that the case be assigned the number 15082. (c)     The applicant's attempts to institute civil proceedings (i)     Claim for recovery of property 103.     On 7 October 2002 the applicant filed a claim with the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Grozny against brothers I. Dhz. and Kh. Dzh. and four officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD, V., Sh., Sul. and A. He stated that two vehicles, an Oldsmobile and a Subaru, had been stolen from him during his detention between 5 March and 24 May 2000, that he had later found his Subaru vehicle disassembled in the street and that he had found his Oldsmobile car at Mr Dhz.'s home address in Urus-Martan. According to the applicant, Mr Dhz. had stated that he and the other co-defendants had purchased two vehicles on 20 April 2004 for USD 500 from officers of the Oktyabrskiy VOVD and that he had been prepared to return the vehicles to the applicant for the equivalent amount. The applicant thus sought to have his Oldsmobile car returned to him and to recover the amount of USD 1,500 for the damaged Subaru vehicle. He also requested the court to issue an injunction order in respect of the Oldsmobile. 104 .     On 14 October 2002 the Oktyabrskiy District Court refused to accept the applicant's claim for examination, stating that the facts stated by the applicant contained elements of a criminal offence punishable under Article 158 § 2 (aggravated theft) of the Russian Criminal Code and should be investigated in criminal proceedings and that the defendants resided in Urus-Martan. This decision was upheld on appeal by the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic on 29 October 2002. 105 .     By a decision of 21 June 2003 the Urus-Martan Town Court refused to accept the applicant's claim for examination, stating that the facts submitted by the applicant contained elements of a criminal offence punishable under Article 158 § 2 of the Russian Criminal Code and should be investigated in criminal proceedings, and that in the context of such criminal proceedings the applicant could be granted the status of a civil claimant and seek compensation for the damage sustained. It does not appear that the applicant appealed against that decision. (ii)     Claim for compensation 106.     On 7 October 2002 the applicant filed a claim with the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Grozny against the Russian Ministry of the Interior, the Russian Ministry of Finance and the Federal Treasury. He listed in detail the damage caused to his property and sought compensation for pecuniary damage in the amount of USD 158,120 and compensation for non-pecuniary damage in the amount of USD 1,000,000. 107.     In a decision of 11 October 2002 the Oktyabrskiy District Court of Grozny refused to accept this claim for examination, stating that it should have been lodged with a court in the area of the defendants' address in Moscow. 108.     On 29 October 2002 the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic upheld the first-instance decision on appeal. 109.     By a decision of 12 May 2003 the Presnenskiy District Court of Moscow returned the applicant's claim on the ground that it did not fall within the territorial limits on its jurisdiction, and stating that the applicant should file his action with any district court in the area of the