CEDH · CASELAW;JUDGMENTS;CHAMBER;ENG — 12 mai 2016

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RUSSIA   (Application no. 62235/09)                   JUDGMENT       STRASBOURG   12 May 2016     FINAL   17/10/2016   This judgment has become final under Article 44 § 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.   In the case of Gaysanova v. Russia, The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:   Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, President,   Khanlar Hajiyev,   Julia Laffranque,   Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos,   Erik Møse,   Ksenija Turković,   Dmitry Dedov, judges, and Abel Campos, Section Registrar , Having deliberated in private on 19 April 2016, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.     The case originated in an application (no. 62235/09) 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, Ms Lida Gaysanova (“the applicant”), on 25 November 2009. 2.     The applicant was represented before the Court by lawyers of the EHRAC/Memorial Human Rights Centre, NGOs with offices in Moscow and London. The Russian Government (“the Government”) were represented by Mr G. Matyushkin, Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Court of Human Rights. 3.     The applicant alleged that her daughter had disappeared as a result of a special operation carried out by State agents in October 2009 in Chechnya, and that the authorities had failed to carry out an effective investigation into the matter. 4.     By a decision of 27 August 2013 the Court declared the application admissible. 5.     The applicant and the Government each filed further written observations (Rule 59 § 1) on the merits. The Chamber having decided, after consulting the parties, that no hearing on the merits was required (Rule   59 §   3 in fine ), the parties replied in writing to each other’s observations. THE FACTS I.     THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE 6.     The applicant was born in 1946 and lives in Nazran, the Republic of Ingushetia. She is the mother of Ms Zarema Gaysanova, who was born in 1969. A.     Disappearance of Ms Zarema Gaysanova and surrounding events 1.     Background information 7.     The applicant’s property at 7 Second Darvina Lane in Kalinin, a village in the Leninskiy district of Grozny in the Chechen Republic, comprised a house, shed and courtyard. At the material time, it was under reconstruction after being heavily damaged during one of the Chechen military campaigns. Her daughter Zarema, who worked for the Grozny office of the Refugees’ Council, a Dutch NGO, regularly stayed at the property for various periods. 2.     Disappearance (a)     The applicant’s account 8.     The applicant did not witness her daughter’s abduction. Her account of the events is based on information obtained from her neighbours in Kalinin. 9.     On 31 October 2009, while Ms Zarema Gaysanova was at the applicant’s property on Second Darvina Lane, the law-enforcement authorities launched a special operation in the village, aimed at eliminating members of illegal armed groups. During the operation a man hid in the applicant’s property, which was blocked and shelled until it caught fire. As the house was burning down, Ms Gaysanova was pushed into a UAZ vehicle and taken away. After the house burnt to the ground, law-enforcement officers recovered a man’s body. Shortly thereafter the Chechen President, Mr   Ramzan Kadyrov, and the Chechen Minister of the Interior, Mr Ruslan Alkhanov, arrived at the property. Mr   Kadyrov, among other things, gave an interview to the local media, saying that a member of illegal armed groups had been “liquidated” in the applicant’s house. 10.     The applicant has had no news of her daughter since her disappearance. (b)     Information submitted by the Government 11.     In reply to the Court’s request for information of 27 November 2009, the Government stated that the criminal case file concerning Ms   Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance (see paragraph 19 et seq. below) contained information suggesting that on 31   October 2009 a special operation had been conducted in Kalinin. However, there was no indication that the applicant’s daughter had been arrested in the course of that operation. 12 .     In observations of 16 September 2010, the Government also submitted that the operation carried out on 31 October 2009 by the law ‑ enforcement authorities was also called “operational-search activities” ( оперативно-розыскные мероприятия ). In conducting them, they had blocked Mr A.Kh., a member of illegal armed groups, into 7 Second Darvina Lane and had “eliminated” him. Ms Zarema Gaysanova had not been seen or arrested during these events and her body had never been found. 3.     Press coverage of the special operation in Kalinin 13 .     On 31 October 2009 the press office of the Ministry of the Interior of the Chechen Republic ( Министерство внутренних дел Чеченской республики ) (hereinafter “the Chechen MVD”) published information on its official website concerning the special operation conducted in Kalinin. The relevant part of the press release reads as follows: “Today, in the course of a special operation in a house in the Leninskiy district of Grozny, [MVD] officers located and liquidated a member of illegal armed groups. [In response to] the officers’ request to surrender his weapons the criminal offered armed resistance. The criminal was hiding in a house which, in the ensuing fight, was set on fire ... The criminal was liquidated. According to the Minister of the Interior, Ruslan Alkhanov, the fighting continued for fifteen minutes ... ... The special operation aimed at liquidating the member of illegal armed groups was conducted under the command of the President of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov ... At the moment a group of investigators is working at the crime scene ...” 14.     The online press release was accompanied by a video. It showed, from different angles, a redbrick house under reconstruction burning down with several dozen armed men wearing khaki green and black and blue camouflage uniforms surrounding it, pointing their guns and moving around. It also showed some firemen extinguishing the fire, a fire engine and several other vehicles parked nearby and a number of armed men in camouflage uniforms and plain-clothed men gathered in the vicinity. The applicant furnished the Court with a recording of the video. She identified the burning building as her house at 7 Second Darvina Lane in Kalinin. 4.     Proceedings concerning Mr A.Kh. 15 .     On 31 October 2009 an investigator from the Leninskiy inter-district investigation department of the investigation committee at the prosecutor’s office of the Russian Federation in the Chechen Republic ( Ленинский межрайонный отдел следственного комитета по Чеченской Республике ) (hereinafter “the Leninskiy investigation department” or “the investigation department”) reported to his superiors that at 3.30 p.m. he had been informed about the “liquidation” of Mr A.Kh., a member of illegal armed groups, at 7 Second Darvina Lane in the Leninskiy district of Grozny. Mr A.Kh. had been surrounded at the address at about 3   p.m. 16 .     Between 4 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. the investigator, with the assistance of an expert and in the presence of three attesting witnesses, examined the crime scene. 17 .     On 7 November 2009 the investigation department informed the Minister of the Interior that at about 3 p.m. on 31 October 2009 the law ‑ enforcement authorities had surrounded Mr A.Kh. at 7 Second Darvina Lane in the Leninskiy district of Grozny. He had offered armed resistance to the law-enforcement officers and had been “liquidated” as a result of the ensuing fight. The Minister was asked to examine the circumstances of Mr   A.Kh.’s “liquidation” and to inform the investigators of any decisions taken. 18 .     On 10 November 2009 the investigation department refused to institute criminal proceedings into Mr A.Kh.’s death, on the grounds that he had resisted arrest and the law-enforcement officers had acted in self ‑ defence. The decision referred to statements by five residents of Second Darvina Lane, including the applicant. They stated, among other things, that Ms Zarema Gaysanova and her brother Ibragim had lived at 7 Second Darvina Lane and that the house had been under reconstruction. At about 3   p.m. on 31   October 2009 police officers had sealed off the area, including the applicant’s house. They had opened fire and the house had burnt down. The applicant submitted that at about 6 p.m. that evening she had received a call from her neighbour, Mr R.M. He had told her that a special operation had been carried out in the village, during which a man had entered her property. Her house had been burnt down and her daughter had been pushed into a UAZ vehicle and taken to an unknown destination. The decision did not specify which law-enforcement agencies had carried out the operation. B.     Investigation into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance 1.     Information and documents submitted by the Government 19.     At the Court’s request, on 10 and 21   December 2009 the Government submitted information and 160 pages of documents from case file no.   66094 opened into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance and containing details of the proceedings between 1 November and 5 December 2009. 20.     Following the Court’s subsequent request to submit an entire copy of case file no. 66094 at the communication stage, the Government furnished a further 608 pages of documents containing details of the proceedings between 1 November 2009 and 11 May 2010. The documents were unnumbered and contained new documents relating to the period 1   November to 5 December 2009, which had not been submitted in December 2009. A significant number of documents, including witness statements such as those by the applicant’s neighbours from Second Darvina Lane, were only partially submitted, in that only the pages containing their names and addresses were provided. Some of the documents were illegible. 21 .     On 17 December 2013 the Government submitted additional observations on the merits of the case along with an 1872-page “... copy of the criminal case-file not including the questioning records of several [police] servicemen containing classified personal data. However, these servicemen did not provide any information of importance to the investigation ...” (a)     Opening of the investigation 22 .     On 1 November 2009 the applicant provided a statement to police captain Mr A.D. at the Leninskiy district department of the interior ( Ленинский районный отдел внутренних дел ) (hereinafter “the Leninskiy ROVD”). She stated that on 31 October 2009 she had received a telephone call from her neighbour Mr R.M., who had told her that as a result of a special operation conducted on Second Darvina Lane, her house had been burnt down and her daughter had been taken away in a UAZ vehicle. There had been no news of her daughter since. 23 .     On 3 November 2009 the acting Leninskiy district prosecutor forwarded the applicant’s abduction complaint of 1 November 2009 to the investigation department, instructing it to examine it. 24 .     In observations of 17 December 2013 the Government stated that “the authorities became aware of Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance on 5   November 2009”. 25 .     On 8 November 2009 the Leninskiy investigation department extended the time-limit for examining the applicant’s complaint to 15   November 2009. The decision stated that the investigators had interviewed the applicant and sent various queries to the Leninskiy ROVD, and that further steps were to be taken such as a crime scene examination and witness identification and questioning, including of the applicant’s neighbour Mr R.M. and the officers who had conducted the special operation on 31 October 2009. 26 .     On 10 November 2009 the Leninskiy ROVD forwarded the applicant’s abduction complaint to the Leninskiy investigation department. According to the applicant, in the complaint to the ROVD and explanatory letter, both of which were dated 1   November 2009, the date had been subsequently changed to 9 November 2009. 27 .     On 16 November 2009 the Leninskiy investigation department opened a criminal investigation into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s abduction under Article 126 § 2 of the Criminal Code (aggravated abduction). The case file was given the number 66094. The decision stated that from the applicant’s complaint lodged on 5 November 2009 it appeared that at about 5.30 p.m. on 31 October 2009 unidentified persons in camouflage uniforms driving a UAZ vehicle had abducted Ms Zarema Gaysanova from 7 Second Darvina Lane in the Leninskiy district of Grozny and had taken her to an unknown destination. Later that day (in the documents submitted the date was also referred to as 10 December 2010) the applicant was granted victim status in the proceedings. (b)     Main witness statements taken by the authorities 28.     The authorities questioned a significant number of witnesses after the investigation was opened. These included the applicant’s neighbours, the workers who had carried out the reconstruction work on the applicant’s house, several police officers from the Argun department of the interior ( Аргунский отдел внутренних дел ) (hereinafter “the Argun OVD”), who had participated in the special operation, the firemen who had put out the house fire, Ms Gaysanova’s colleagues and the applicant’s relatives in Nazran. 29 .     On 9   November 2009 the investigators questioned the applicant, who stated that before being abducted her daughter had lived at 7 Second Darvina Lane, which had been under reconstruction. She had worked for the Grozny office of the Dutch Refugees’ Council. The applicant’s son Ibragim had stayed with Zarema on several occasions. Between 6 p.m. and 7   p.m. on 31   October 2009 the applicant’ neighbour, Mr R.M., had told her over the telephone that at about 3.30   p.m. that day the law-enforcement authorities had conducted a special operation in the village. In the course of the operation a man had rushed into the applicant’s courtyard, her house had been burnt to the ground and her daughter had been forced into a UAZ vehicle and taken to an unknown destination. 30 .     On 10 December 2009 the investigators again questioned the applicant, who stated, among other things, that between 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. on 31 October 2009 she had spoken to her daughter on the telephone about the reroofing of the house, which was being done by workers that day. She had tried to call her after lunch, but there had been no answer. At about 6.40   p.m. her neighbour Mr R.M. had told her over the telephone that officers of the police or the military forces had carried out a special operation in the village, during which her house had been burnt down and a man’s body had been recovered from the ruins. During the operation the officers had stopped residents from leaving their houses. Mr R.M. had seen through a window several officers in camouflage uniforms armed with assault rifles pushing a woman wearing a well-worn pink dressing gown into a UAZ vehicle and driving away. He had recognised the woman as Ms   Zarema Gaysanova by what she had been wearing. The applicant said that another neighbour, Ms Z.S., had told her that one of the men in camouflage uniform who had been in her house during the operation had asked over his portable radio “whether the others had shown the body to the woman”. At that very moment she had heard a woman scream. The man had asked his colleagues if they had put the woman into the car, which they had confirmed. After that, the man had told Ms Z.S. that “they had killed the devil”, that she could now relax and that they were leaving. While at Ms   Z.S.’ house, the man in camouflage had asked her numerous questions about the Gaysanov family and their connections and occupations. The applicant also submitted that Mr R.M. lived in Moscow and on 31   October 2009 he had come to Kalinin to visit his brother, Mr A.M. 31 .     Between February and May 2010 the investigators also questioned construction workers Mr A.Yu.Zh., Mr A.A.D., Mr A.V.L., Mr B.I.B and   Mr A.Yu.A., all of whom confirmed that since the end of 2009 they had been doing repair work on the applicant’s house where Ms Zarema Gaysanova, and occasionally her brother Ibragim, had lived. All of the workers stated that the last time they had seen Ms Gaysanova was on 31   October 2009 and that they had learnt of the special operation that evening. When they had arrived at the applicant’s house at about 11   a.m. on 1   November 2009, there had been a large group of law-enforcement officers inspecting the property and the surrounding area. The officers had asked them questions about the owners of the house and whether they knew anything about their connections and habits. According to the workers, they had learnt of Ms   Zarema Gaysanova’s abduction from the police officers. When questioned again by the investigators, some of the workers changed their initial statements and told them that they had learnt of the abduction from the applicant. 32 .     Between February and May 2010 the investigators also questioned seven police officers from the Argun OVD, all of whom stated that at about 4.30   p.m. on 31 October 2009 ten officers from their police station had been sent to 7 Second Darvina Lane following a tip-off that Mr A.Kh., a member of illegal armed groups, had been hiding there. On arrival, some of them had surrounded the house while others had waited in a neighbouring courtyard. Officers of other law-enforcement agencies had also participated in the operation. Mr A.Kh. had been asked to surrender; in response he had opened fire. A grenade had exploded in the yard and there had then been intensive gunfire and the house had been stormed. The building had caught fire and firemen had subsequently put it out. The burnt remains of a man had been found among the ruins. All of the police officers denied having seen Ms Zarema Gaysanova or having any knowledge of her abduction. 33.     On 27 April 2010 the investigators questioned taxi driver Mr   Yu.A.B. He stated that at about 12 noon on 31   October 2009 he had picked up Ms Zarema Gaysanova to take her shopping and had seen some workers, including Mr A.M.D., repairing the roof. He had taken her back home at around 1 p.m. That evening he had met Mr A.M.B., who had told him about the special operation on Second Darvina Lane. At about 8.30   p.m. Mr   Yu.A.B. had called Ms Zarema Gaysanova, but her mobile telephone had been switched off. 34 .     On 28 April 2010 the investigators questioned another construction worker, Mr A.M.B., who stated that after lunch on 31 October 2009 Ms   Zarema Gaysanova had returned home with a taxi driver, Mr Yu.A.B. After he had left, they had talked in the shed over a cup of tea, and at about 3.10   p.m. she had gone in the house and he had carried on working. About ten minutes later he had heard heavy footsteps in the courtyard and had seen seven unmasked men in camouflage uniforms, all armed with assault rifles. One of them had asked him in Chechen “Where has he gone?” to which the witness had replied “Who are you talking about? I am working here”. Shortly thereafter something had exploded inside the house and there had then been intensive gunfire. The witness had heard someone shout in Chechen “Throw grenades, protect our men!” The officers had been shooting at the house and the witness had shouted “Why are you shooting at the house? There is a woman inside!”, but no one had paid any attention. After the shooting had stopped, the witness had managed to make his way outside the courtyard, where he had seen officers sealing off the area, ready for a further shootout. An officer at the gate had ordered him to leave. Several moments later the witness had called Ms Gaysanova on her mobile telephone, but there had been no answer. 35.     On various dates between November 2009 and May 2010 the investigators questioned a number of the applicant’s neighbours. Most of them confirmed that a special operation had taken place on Second Darvina Lane on 31   October 2009 and that the area had been sealed off by the security forces, but denied having seen Ms Zarema Gaysanova being taken away. Ms T.Kh.A., who lived at 12 Second Darvina Lane, was questioned on 11   May 2010. She stated that at about 3.30 p.m. on 31 October 2009 she had seen a large group of men on the street armed with assault rifles and wearing camouflage uniforms, and a UAZ vehicle. One of the officers had ordered her to get back inside the house and close the door. Shortly thereafter she had heard intensive gunfire and had seen number 7 burning down. Sometime later, police officers had come to her house to ask, among other things, whether she had known Ms Gaysanova. 36 .     On 1 December 2010 (the date on the document appears to be incorrect, see paragraphs 59, 64 and 94) the investigators questioned the Chechen President Mr Kadyrov, who stated that “many” special operations had been conducted in the Chechen Republic around that time and that the heads of the law-enforcement agencies reported the results to him. As to the special operation conducted on 31 October 2009 to eliminate a member of illegal armed groups, Mr A.Kh., he had arrived at the scene at the end of the operation and had seen a burning house and firemen trying to put out the fire. The Minister of the Interior Mr Alkhanov had reported the results of the operation to him. Mr Kadyrov said he had not seen anyone at the scene and had no information about Ms Zarema Gaysanova being detained or abducted. 37.     On various dates in February 2011 the investigators questioned four of the applicant’s neighbours, whose statements did not provide any new information. 38.     On 28 February 2011 the investigators questioned forensic expert Mr   Ma.Ma., who stated that he had participated in the crime scene examination shortly after the special operation on 31 October 2009 but had not seen any senior law-enforcement officials or Ms Gaysanova there, and was unable to name any of the other people who had participated in the crime scene examination that day. 39 .     On 6 March 2011 the investigators again questioned the applicant, who reiterated her previous statements (see paragraphs 29 and 30 above). She added that on 9 November 2009 at the premises of the Chechen investigation department she had spoken to investigator Mr Tam., who had been in charge of the investigation into her daughter’s disappearance and had told her “your daughter Ms Zarema Gaysanova is alive but we have no access to her”. 40.     On various dates in March 2011 the investigators questioned three ambulance workers who had arrived at the scene on 31 October 2009. Their statements did not provide any new information. 41.     On 23 and 28 April 2011 the investigators questioned the deputy chief of the Argun OVD, Mr M.Dzh. and one of his officers, Mr L.Ba. They both stated that Special Task Unit “Terek” of the Argun OVD ( отряд милиции специального назначения ) had participated in the operation on 31   October 2009. 42.     On 13 June 2011 the investigators again questioned the applicant, who stated that her daughter had been unmarried at the time of her abduction and that at some point in 1986 she had married someone called Mr Yandiyev but had divorced him six months later. 43.     On 14 June 2011 the investigators again questioned Mr A.M.B., who reiterated his previous statement (see paragraph 34 above). 44.     On 14 June 2011 the investigators questioned the investigator Mr   Tam., who stated that in November 2009 he had told the applicant that her daughter had been alive just to calm her down (see paragraph 39 above). 45.     On 3 August 2011 the investigators again questioned the applicant, who stated that her daughter had not fallen out with anyone or received any threats and had not been in involved in a blood feud. 46.     On 29 June 2012 the investigators questioned the head of the Argun town administration, Mr I.T., who stated that he had not participated in the special operation on 31 October 2009 and nor had his security service or guards. 47 .     On 28 June 2013 the investigators again questioned the Chechen President Mr Kadyrov, who reiterated his previous statement (see paragraph 36 above). (c)     Main investigative steps taken by the authorities 48.     In the course of the investigation, the authorities primarily took the following steps. They (i) carried out an examination of the crime scene on several occasions, (ii) made requests for information to various law-enforcement agencies and detention centres concerning Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s possible arrest or detention in the Chechen Republic and neighbouring regions, and the existence of pending criminal proceedings against her or her possible involvement with members of illegal armed groups, (iii) verified whether she had left the Chechen Republic by plane or train, (iv) published a search announcement in the regional media, and (v) traced the location of her mobile telephone between 21   and 31 October 2009. 49.     On 4 December 2009 the deputy head of the Chechen investigation department issued orders for the investigators in criminal case no. 66094 instructing them to, amongst other things, verify the law-enforcement agencies’ conduct of the special operation on 31 October 2009 and question its participants concerning the details. 50 .     On 5 December 2009 the investigators wrote to the chief of the Leninskiy ROVD, asking him to take disciplinary measures against the officers who had failed to comply with the investigators’ instructions and take the steps requested in criminal case no. 66094. 51 .     On 11 December 2009 the investigators obtained a joint operational report ( оперативная сводка ) from the Chechen MVD concerning the events of 31   October 2009. The relevant part of the document reads as follows: “... Leninskiy District. Military clash. At 6.15 p.m. on 31 October 2009 the [MVD] front desk was informed ... that at 3.30   p.m. on 31 October 2009 in a deserted half-ruined house at 7 Second Darvina Lane, Grozny ... officers from the Argun [OVD], Leninskiy [ROVD], 8th company of the 2nd regiment of the [MVD] traffic police and the head of the Argun town administration’s security service had blocked a member of illegal armed groups, who had offered armed resistance during his apprehension and had been liquidated ... Present [during the operation were]: Minister of the Interior Mr R. Alkhanov and deputy Minister of the Interior Mr R.L.E, chief of Grozny criminal police Mr Sh., chief of the department of the interior Mr Ir., chief of criminal police at the department of the interior Mr Is., chief of public security police at the department of the interior Mr   Ba. and his deputy Mr Bu., acting chief of the criminal investigation directorate at the department of the interior Mr M.,. an investigator from the Leninskiy investigation department Mr A.,. the [entire] operational investigation group of the [MVD], the operational investigation group of the department of the interior, the Leninskiy district [of Grozny] operational investigation group of the Temporary Alignment of Departments at the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus Region ...” 52 .     On 11 January 2010 the applicant’s lawyer requested that the investigators take a number of steps. These included obtaining copies of the video footage of the special operation and questioning the officials who had been in charge and its participants, the applicant’s neighbours Mr R.M., Ms   Z.G and Ms Zh.S, and the construction workers who had carried out the work on the applicant’s house on Second Darvina Lane. On 12 January 2010 the investigators granted the request. 53 .     On 27 January 2010 the head of the Chechen investigation department wrote to the Chechen Minister of the Interior stating, amongst other things: “... [within the framework of the investigation of criminal case no. 66094], on 24   December 2009 the Chechen prosecutor organised a meeting on officers from the Leninskiy ROVD in Grozny and servicemen from operational-search unit no.   2 of the Ministry of the Interior in the Southern Federal Circuit (the ORB-2) collaborating with the investigation to solve the crime and prosecute the perpetrators. However, officers from the Leninskiy ROVD in Grozny have not been providing operational support ... repeated requests for information to the chief of the Leninskiy ROVD [have met with] formal and incomplete replies ... [even though] in reply to the repeated request of 6 December 2009 it was stated that the police officers had examined the crime scene again and had found burnt passports, one for use in Russia (internal) and another (foreign) one for use abroad. However, at the time of writing this evidence and the relevant documents have not been provided to the investigators of the criminal case ... [As] to our request of 9 December 2009 concerning the identities of the servicemen who participated in the special operation and the conclusions of the internal inquiry, on 18 December 2009 a formal reply was given ... which did not contain any meaningful information; the information and documents requested were not submitted. On 23 December 2009 we sent another request for information concerning the officers who participated in the special operation and the conclusions of the internal inquiry. To the present date no reply has been given. [As] to our repeated requests of 11 and 28 December 2009 concerning the identities of the officers who participated in the special operation ... no reply has been given. Officers from the Argun OVD Mr M.B., Mr D.V., Mr I.G and Mr R.Akh, who participated in the operation and whose identities were established by the investigators, refused to give statements to the investigation ... Thus, at the time of writing the investigation either does not have information concerning the persons who participated in the special operation (their names, service positions and ranks) or documents confirming its lawfulness. In connection with the above, you are requested to personally supervise execution of the requests in the criminal case and provide full and timely replies to the requests for information and operational steps. You are also requested to order an internal inquiry in connection with the violations of criminal procedure law by your subordinates in the [relevant] police departments ...” 54 .     On 28 January 2010 the investigators requested the chief of the Argun OVD to provide, amongst other things, the following information: “... according to the reply received by the investigation in criminal case no. 66094 to its request for information of 15 December 2009, the following [eleven] officers from the criminal search division of the Argun OVD participated in the special operation on 31 October 2009: Mr Sh.Ya., Mr K.S., Mr M.B., Mr A.P., Mr D.V., Mr   Dz.M., Mr   E.A., Mr R.A., Mr R.Akh., Mr Kh.O. and Mr A.Ma. Based on this information, you are requested to ensure these officers [attend] the Chechen investigation committee at 9 Garazhnaya Street, Grozny to be questioned as witnesses. You are also requested to forward me documents confirming the lawfulness of the special operation ... the order to conduct the operation and a copy of the results of the internal inquiry carried out into the matter ...” 55 .     On 2 February 2010 the acting chief of the Argun OVD replied to the investigators that they had no information concerning Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s abduction and that the officers mentioned in the request of 28   January 2010 had been instructed to give statements to the investigators. In an additional letter of the same date, the Argun OVD informed the investigators that no internal inquiries had been carried out in connection with the special operation conducted on 31 October 2009 as “there were no violations of the law and no officers from the Argun OVD had been injured”. 56 .     On 14 February 2010 the applicant repeated the request for the officials in charge of the special operation on 31 October 2009 to be questioned. On 18 February 2010 the investigators replied that they would question them as soon as they had established their identities. 57.     On 24 February 2010 the applicant requested that the investigators question, amongst others, Chechen President Mr Kadyrov, as he had information on the special operation.   On 26 February 2010 the investigators granted the request. 58.     On 5 April 2010 the investigators reported to their superiors that they had been unable to interview Mr   Kadyrov, who had been in charge of the special operation on 31 October 2009. 59 .     On 22 April 2010 the applicant complained to the Chechen investigation department that Mr Kadyrov had not been questioned and that the investigators had failed to take the procedural steps ordered on 26   February 2010.   On 26 April 2010 the investigators refused to allow the complaint stating, amongst other things, that according to fourteen other witnesses who had been present during the special operation, Mr Kadyrov had not been there. 60.     On 22 April 2010 the applicant’s lawyer reiterated his request for the investigators to take a number of steps such as obtaining copies of the video footage of the special operation, identifying and questioning all of the participants, asking the drivers of the UAZ vehicles whether they had seen Ms Zarema Gaysanova being forced into one of them, and questioning the Chechen Minister of the Interior Mr Alkhanov concerning the law-enforcement agencies who had participated in the operation and the firemen who had put out the house fire afterwards. On 26 April 2010 the investigators granted the request. 61.     On an unspecified date in April 2010 senior operational-search officer Mr P.G. provided the investigators with an information statement on the operational-search measures taken in the criminal case. The relevant part reads as follows: “... It has been established by operational-search measures that at about 3.30   p.m. on 31 October 2009 servicemen from the Argun OVD, the 8th company of the 2nd regiment of the traffic police and the head of the Argun town administration security service conducted a special operation, as a result of which an active member of illegal armed groups Mr A.Kh. was found. He resisted arrest and ... was eliminated as a result ... It has also been established that in this household Mr A.Kh. had lived with his wife, Zarema Gaysanova, whose whereabouts after the special operation remain unknown ...” 62 .     On 9 July 2010 the Chechen deputy prosecutor criticised the investigation into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance and ordered the investigators to take a number of remedial measures: “... On 16 June 2010 the investigation was suspended for failure to identify the perpetrators ... An examination of the case file has demonstrated that this decision was unfounded and premature; it was taken prior to all the investigative steps being taken... ... the criminal case has been investigated by several investigators for seven months, however, an effective investigation has not been carried out, the whereabouts of the abducted Ms Z. Gaysanova have not been established, and sufficiently effective steps to identify the culprits have not been taken ... Up to the present date the servicemen of the law-enforcement agencies who took part in the special operation ... have not all been identified and questioned. From the operational statement of the Chechnya MVD of 31 October 2009 it appears that servicemen of the 8th company of the 2nd regiment of the traffic police and the head of the Argun town administration security service participated in the liquidation of Mr A.Kh., but [they] have not been identified and questioned. The requests of the applicant, Ms L. Gaysanova, for access to the investigation file have been granted, but her representatives have not been provided [it] ... In addition, the applicant’s representative requested that the investigators take certain investigative steps such as seizure and examination of the video footage posted on the Chechen Ministry of the Interior’s website concerning the special operation... identifying the person who filmed the operation ... those steps have not been taken. In violation of Article 21 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, no measures have been taken to identify the perpetrators for a long time ... ... In addition, the investigation has not taken sufficient steps to identify key witness Mr R.M. who, according to the applicant, called her to say that Z. Gaysanova had been taken away by the unidentified servicemen who had participated in the special operation against A.Kh. Mr R.M. has not been questioned about those circumstances. In addition, the brother of the abducted Ms Gaysanova, Mr I. Gaysanov, has not been identified and questioned. Based on the above, the decision to suspend the investigation in criminal case no.   66094 is unlawful and should therefore be overruled ...” 63 .     On 23 August 2010 the Chechen deputy prosecutor again criticised the investigation into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance and pointed out that the steps ordered on 9 July 2010 had not been taken and the orders given had not been complied with. He ordered that the decision to suspend the investigation of 16 June 2010 be overruled as unlawful and the proceedings be resumed. 64.     On 10 December 2010 the investigators granted the applicant’s request of 22 April 2010 to have Mr Kadyrov questioned (see paragraph   36 above). The applicant was informed on 13 December 2010. 65.     On 28 March 2011 the investigators collected blood samples from the applicant for genetic testing with the samples in the regional DNA database. On 4 April 2011 the experts reported that there had been no matches. 66.     On 7 April 2011 the applicant’s lawyer requested the investigators to join the investigation into Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s disappearance with the investigation into the disappearance of Mr Rizvan Aziyev (see Khava Aziyeva and Others v. Russia , no. 30237/10, 23 April 2015) for the following reasons: “... your department investigating criminal case no. 66094 ... initiated in connection with [Ms Zarema Gaysanova’s] abduction during a special operation on Second Darvina Lane in Grozny ... presumably by representatives of the law-enforcement agencies. On the same date, 31 October 2009, at about 5.50 p.m. by his house at 23   Mumayeva Street in the village of Staraya Sunzha, unidentified armed persons in camouflage uniforms abducted Mr Rizvan Aziyev, who was born in 1979. In connection with this, the Leninskiy investigation department ... opened criminal case no. 66093, which is also being investigated by your department. One of the investigation’s theories in criminal case no. 66094 is that Mr A.Kh. had lived with Zarema Gaysanova, and this served as the reason for [her] abduction and questioning by unidentified representatives of the law-enforcement agencies in order to obtain information about him and his activities. Mr Rizvan Aziyev, who was abducted the same day, is the brother of Ms Khava Aziyeva, Mr A.Kh’s official wife. Both abductions therefore took place on the date of the special operation on 31   October 2009 to eliminate Mr A.Kh., and both of the people abducted had obvious connections with him. Ms Gaysanova, in whose house Mr A.Kh. had been killed, was presumably his cohabitee, and Rizvan Aziyev was the brother of Mr   A.Kh.’s wife. In connection with this, there are grounds to presume that the abductions of Ms   Gaysanova and Mr Aziyev, who had been connected to Mr A.Kh., had been perpetrated by the same people ...” 67.     On 8 April 2011 the investigators refused the above request as groundless. 68 .     On 21 and 22 April 2011 the investigators checked the detainee registration log of the Leninskiy ROVD temporary detention ward. There was no indication that Ms Zarema Gaysanova had been detained on the premises. 69 .     On 14 June 2011 the investigators obtained two DVDs from the Chechen MVD information centre containing the video footage of the special operation on 31 October 2009 and incorporated them into the investigation file as evidence. 70.     On 3 July 2012 the investigators in charge of criminal case no.   66094 informed the head of the Chechen investigation department that they needed to question the Chechen President Mr Kadyrov again, but were unable to do so as he was too busy. They eventually questioned him on 28   June 2013 (see paragraph 47 above). 71 .     On 22 July 2013 an operational-search officer from the criminal search division of Grozny OVD, Mr R.D., provided the investigators with an information statement on the operational-search steps taken in the criminal case. The relevant part reads as follows: “... It has been established by operational-search measures that at about 3.30   p.m. on 31 October 2009 servicemen from the Argun OVD, the 8th company of the 2nd regiment of the traffic police and the head of the Argun town administration security service conducted a special operation, as a result of which an active member of illegal armed groups, Mr A.Kh., was found. He resisted arrest and [was] therefore eliminated ... It has also been established that in that household Mr A.Kh. had lived with his wife, Zarema Gaysanova, whose whereabouts after the special operation remain unknown ... Ms Zarema Gaysanova was not officially married ... Two theories were proposed within the framework of the operational-search activities:           Zarema Gaysanova was detained by servicemen of the law-enforcement agencies owing to her possible involvement in illegal armed groups;           Zarema Gaysanova was hiding from the police to avoid prosecution for being a member of illegal armed groups ...” 72 .     On an unspecified date in 2011 the investigators established that on 31   October 2009 Ms Zarema Gaysanova had had various telephone conversations, one of which had been with Mr A.Kh., who had subsequently been killed during the special operation. (d)     Information concerning the pace of the investigation 73 .     On 5 December 2009 the Leninskiy investigation department issued a formal warning ( представление ) to the chief of the Leninskiy ROVD. It stated that the police department had not carried out any of the investigative steps ordered by the investigators, and had thereby hampered the investigation and precluded it from establishing the circumstances of Ms   Zarema Gaysanova’s abduction. The chief was instructed to take the necessary steps to remedy the shortcomings and to consider taking disciplinary action against those responsible for the inactivity. On 9   December 2009 the investigators issued a further order to the police department, stressing that their earlier instructions had not been complied with and urging the chief of the Leninskiy ROVD to oversee the matter. 74.     On 7 December 2009 the investigation in case no. 66094 was transferred to investigation department no. 2 (Serious Crimes) of the investigation committee at the prosecutor’s office of the Russian Federation in the Chechen Republic ( следственный комитет по Чеченской Республике ) (hereinafter “investigation department no. 2”). 75.     On 9 December 2009 it was decided that the investigation was to be conducted by a group of investigators because there was evidence to suggest that members of the security forces had been involved in Ms   Zarema Gaysanova’s abduction. The group was to consist of investigators from the Leninskiy investigation department, investigation department no.   2 and officers from the Leninskiy ROVD. 76 .     On 11 January 2010 the investigators requested that the time-limit for the investigation in case no.   66094 be extended owing to the number of investigative steps to be taken. The document stated that the investigation had been severely hampered by the persistent refusal of the law ‑ enforcement authorities involved in the operation on 31 October 2009 to provide information about the officers who had participated. 77 .     On 27 January 2010 the investigators requested the Minister of the Interior to personally oversee execution of the requests they had addressed to his subordinates in connection with the investigation in case no.   66094. The letter stressed that the Leninskiy ROVD, the Argun OVD, the 8th company of the 2nd regiment of the MVD traffic police and the Minister himself had persistently disregarded the investigators’ repeated requests for information concerning the officers who had participated in the special operation on 31   October 2009. Moreover, officers Mr M.A.B, Mr D.R.V, Mr I.D.G. and Mr R.Z.A. from the Argun OVD, who it had been established had taken part in the operation, had blatantly refused to be questioned. The Minister was asked to look into the matter and take disciplinary action in connection with this. 78.     On 16 June 2010 the investigation was suspende