The Staropromyslovsky massacre occurred between December 1999 and January 2000 when at least 38 confirmed civilians were

summarily executed In civil and military jurisprudence, summary execution is the putting to death of a person accused of a crime without the benefit of a free and fair trial. The term results from the legal concept of summary justice to punish a summary offense, a ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n federal soldiers during an apparent spree in Staropromyslovsky City District of

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the

Chechen Republic Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and share ...

, according to survivors and eyewitnesses. The killings went unpunished and publicly unacknowledged by the Russian authorities. In 2007, one case of a triple

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

was ruled against Russia in the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

(ECHR).

The murders

The killings occurred between late December 1999 and mid-January 2000, during the heavy fighting for the city. Most of the 38 victims were women and

elderly Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

men, and all appear to have been deliberately shot by Russian soldiers at close range. More than a dozen additional civilians may also have been murdered in the district; in addition, six men from Staropromyslovsky City District who were last seen in Russian custody "disappeared" during this same period and remain unaccounted for.

Aftermath

Russian military and civilian authorities are not known to have seriously investigated the Staropromyslovsky killings, as well as other similar incidents in Chechnya. On November 29, 2007 the ECHR has made a decision on the case of Tangieva v. Russia in favor of a relative of victims of one of the summary executions in the district that took place in the early hours of January 11, 2000. The victims, parents of the applicant, were both shot dead alongside another woman in their home, which was then set alight. Their deaths were attributed to the Russian Federation; the Court also blamed Russia for the failure to provide an effective investigation.Tangieva v Russia

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...

, 10 July 2008

References

{{Reflist

External links

CASE OF TANGIYEVA v. RUSSIA (Application no. 57935/00) JUDGMENT
1999 in Russia 2000 in Russia December 1999 crimes December 1999 in Russia January 2000 crimes in Europe January 2000 in Russia Massacres committed by Russia Massacres in 1999 Massacres in 2000 Massacres in the Chechen–Russian conflict Russian war crimes in Chechnya War crimes of the Second Chechen War

The murders

Aftermath

See also

References

External links