ISRAILOV Case

07/06/2011
Press release
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On 1 June 2011 a verdict was pronounced in the Israilov case in Vienna. The coalition of human rights organizations which monitored the trial welcomes this verdict. Its legal and historical importance cannot be overestimated. A crime of the Chechen authorities is condemned for the first time by a truly free and independent court.

Umar Israilov, an applicant to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Chechen refugee in Austria, was murdered on 13 January 2009 near his home in Vienna. In his application to the ECHR, Israilov accused the President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, of illegally detaining and torturing him in 2003.

PRESS RELEASES AND OPEN LETTERS

6 June 2012: "Austria should demand the extradition of murder suspect sheltered by Russia", Open Letter to the Ministry of Justice of Republic of Austria
 English version

3 June 2011: "Trial in Vienna: The Victory of Justice"
 English version
 Russian version

31 May 2011: "Israilov Case: Court in Vienna to reach verdict on murder of refugee who accused Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov of torture"
 English version
 Russian version

27 November 2010: "Russia must cooperate with the Austrian Courts - Ramzan Kadyrov should testify about his alleged involvement in the Israilov case"
 English version
 French version

16 November 2010: "Opening of the trial into the murder of a Chechen refugee in Vienna: The hope of finally holding all perpetrators accountable - Israilov Case to be Monitored by A Coalition of Human Rights NGOs"
 English version
 Russian version
 French version

12 May 2010: "Russian authorities should closely monitor the court proceedings for the murder of Israilov in Vienna"
 English version
 Russian version

SUMMARY OF HEARINGS

Summary of the hearings of May and June 2011 (24 and 31 May, 1 June 2011)
 Hearing of 24 May 2011 (English version)
 Transcript of Kurmakaev’s and Israilov’s meeting (in English), read out during the court hearing of 24 May 2011
 Hearing of 31 May 2011 (English version)
 Hearing of 1 June 2011 (English version)

Summary of the hearings of March 2011 (15 and 25 March 2011)
 Hearing of 15 March 2011 (English version)
 Hearing of 25 March 2011 (English version)

Summary of the hearings of January 2011 (19, 24-25 January 2011)
 English version

Summary of the hearing of the 3rd December 2010: testimonies of the civil parties
 English version
 Russian version

Summary of the first two weeks of trial (16-26 November 2010)
 English version
 Russian version

INDICTMENT

German version

English version (non-official translation)
 part 1
 part 2

Russian version (non-official translation)

COALITION MEMBERS

 International Federation for Human Rights
 Human Rights Center “Memorial” (Russia) - See in particular their resource page on the Israilov case (in Russian)
 People in Need (Czech Republic)
 Norwegian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
 Austrian Helsinki Association for Human Rights
 Civil Rights Defenders (Sweden)
 Novaya Gazeta (Russia)

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