Russian Soldiers Complain to Strasbourg
Twelve former Russian soldiers have complained to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg about the violation of their right to judicial protection. They have been unable to receive the wages due to them as soldiers or benefits they qualify for as being handicapped. The court ruled in favor of the claimant in one such case, awarding Komi resident Oleg Tetsen, who served in Chechnya, 445,000 rubles in back wages. The main complaint, to which 11 more suits have been united, comes from Alexander Balagurov of Syktyvkar, after he spent four years trying to receive compensation for injuries received in Chechnya leaving him handicapped.
According to Ernest Mezak of the Komi branch of Memorial, which is assisting Balagurov with his court case, 35-year-old Balagurov served in the Government Communications Center in Chechnya. On December 27, 2002, he was in Government House in Grozny when it was attacked by suicide bombers in explosives-laden cars. Balagurov was seriously injured. On June 20, 2003, he was declared unfit for duty and, in December of that year, an “invalid of the second class.” His health problems continue to this day. Under a federal government order of December 30, 2002, those injured in the December 27 attack were to receive a one-time payment of 50,000 rubles each. Balagurov was not on the list of those to receive payment, however. After corresponding with authorities for a year, Balagurov filed suit in Syktyvkar against the government of Chechnya on January 9, 2004. Five months later, the court rules in favor of Balagurov. A Bailiff in Chechnya indicated on September 27 of that year, however, that “there are no monetary funds or property from which to seek compensation.” After another lengthy round of correspondence, the court’s decision was implemented on October 12, 2006.
Balagurov had filed a complaint in the European Court of Human Rights on February 15, 2005, however, demanding €50,000 in moral damages. Eleven other complainants joined in the suit. They are owed sums ranging from 23,000 to 451,000 rubles. Now, according to Mezak, the suits have passed through the preliminary stage and have been accepted for hearing. The court has already sent its questions to the Russian government, which has until September 5 of this year to respond. The court will make a decision on the case after that.
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All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2008
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