Russland-Tschetschenien
Israilov Case to be Monitored by A Coalition of Human Rights NGOs
16 November 2010 - The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), together with Human Rights Center “Memorial” (Russia), People in Need (Czech Republic), Norwegian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Austrian Helsinki Association for Human Rights and Novaya Gazeta (Russia) welcome the opening of the trial in Vienna, Austria, of the alleged perpetrators of the murder of Umar Israilov, a Chechen refugee in Austria. This coalition has decided to send an observation mission to Vienna from 16 to 26 November 2010, for the purpose of observing the court hearings.
Our organisations consider this trial particularly significant because there exist necessary conditions for an independent court investigation that would make it possible to name all the guilty in this murder. The indictment presented by the Prosecutor’s office of Austria states that the aim of the immediate executors of the crime was the “forced abduction of Umar Israilov with the aim of taking him out of the country and his subsequent transfer to the authorities in the Chechen Republic or in case this plan fails; the murder of Umar Israilov”, and it also points to the obvious involvement of the Chechen authorities in this crime. It is important that during the trial all persons who were involved in planning; organising and executing this crime are identified and named regardless of their position or status. This will contribute to combat of impunity for crimes committed in Chechnya and outside Chechnya. Unfortunately in Russia itself an independent trial into such a case cannot take place.
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