5.  The applicants are:
(1) Ms Yakhita Ilayeva, born in 1959;
(2) Ms Larisa Ilayeva, born in 1987;
(3) Ms Luiza Ilayeva, born in 1985;
(4) Mr Dzhokhar (also spelled as Dzhakhar) Ilayev, born in 1995;
(5) Ms Mariyam (also spelled as Maryam) Ibragimova, born in 1957;
(6) Mr Adam Ilayev, born in 1994;
(7) Ms Pyatimat Ibragimova, born in 1925;
(8) Ms Elizaveta (also spelt as Liza) Batayeva, born in 1962; and
(9) Ms Taus Islamova, born in 1936. 6.  The first, second, third and fourth applicants live in Grozny, Chechnya; the fifth and sixth applicants live in Assinovskaya (also spelled as Assinovskoye), in the Sunzhenskiy district of Chechnya; the seventh applicant lives in Shalazhi, Chechnya; the eighth applicant lives in Ordzhenikidzevskaya, Ingushetia; and the ninth applicant lives in Nesterevskaya, Ingushetia. 7.  The applicants represent four related families. The first applicant is the mother of Inver Ilayev, who was born in 1982. The second and third applicants are his sisters and the fourth applicant is his brother. The fifth applicant is the mother of Adlan Ilayev, who was born in 1987. The sixth applicant is his brother and the seventh applicant is his grandmother. The eighth applicant is the mother of Kazbek Batayev (also spelt Bataev), who was born in 1983. The ninth applicant is the mother of Rustam Ilayev, who was born in 1974. 8.  At the material time, the village of Assinovskaya was under the total control of the Russian federal forces. Military checkpoints manned by Russian servicemen were located on the roads leading to and from the settlement. One of the checkpoints, called Kavkaz (Кавказ), was located on the way out of the village, at the intersection of the Assinovskoye‑Sernovodskoye road and the Rostov-Baku motorway. 9.  On 3 July 2004 the applicants and their relatives, including Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev, painted and carried out repairs to the fifth applicant’s house in Assinovskaya. 10.  Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev worked until late at night. After midnight, the young men went to the first applicant’s house to spend the night. A number of other relatives, including the second and third applicants, also slept that night at the house, which was located at 95 Fiftieth Anniversary of the October Revolution Street (улица 50-летия Октября) in Assinovskaya. 11.  At about 4 a.m. on 4 July 2004 the first applicant woke up from the sound of someone walking in the house. A group of about ten armed masked men in camouflage uniforms broke into the room where Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev were sleeping. Two of the intruders went into the first applicant’s bedroom; several intruders remained in the yard. The first applicant and her relatives thought that these men were Russian military servicemen. 12.  The officers, who spoke unaccented Russian, gathered all of the family members – except for Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev – together in the corner of one room. They did not ask for any identity documents and did not provide any explanations for their actions. 13.  The first applicant and her relatives could see from the adjacent room that the servicemen started swearing at Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev and beating them. Then they ordered the applicants’ relatives to get up and took them outside one by one. The officers did not let the other family members leave the room they were in. 14.  Next the servicemen quickly searched the house but did not find anything of interest to them. After that, they walked off down the street with Inver Ilayev, Rustam Ilayev, Adlan Ilayev and Kazbek Batayev. Several of the servicemen remained in the yard of the first applicant’s house to stop the relatives from following the detainees. 15.  After all the servicemen were gone, the first applicant and her relatives went outside. Their neighbours informed them that the abductors had arrived in three APCs (armoured personnel carriers) and a UAZ vehicle without registration numbers, which they had parked about two blocks away. A number of local residents, including Ms M.Ch. and Ms. T.E., had seen the abductors forcing the applicants’ relatives into the APCs and driving away in the direction of the Kavkaz checkpoint. 16.  According to local residents, during their passage through the checkpoint, the abductors in the APCs had stopped and spoken with the servicemen who had been manning the roadblock that night.
(b)  The subsequent events 17.  Immediately after the abduction the first applicant and her relatives went to the head of the local administration, the Sunzhenskiy District Department of the Interior (“the ROVD”), the Achkhoy-Martan Inter‑District Prosecutor’s Office (“the prosecutor’s office”) and reported the abduction of their four relatives by military servicemen. On 5 July 2004 the applicants reiterated their reports to the authorities in writing. 18.  Early in the morning of 4 July 2004 the fifth applicant went to the prosecutor’s office. She informed him of the abduction of her relatives and pointed out that Adlan Ilayev was only 16 years old. In the applicant’s presence, the prosecutor called someone by phone and asked the person “to keep in mind” that a young boy was among the detainees. 19.  In the morning of 4 July 2004 a district police officer from the ROVD and investigators from the prosecutor’s office arrived at the first applicant’s house. The officers conducted a crime scene examination and took photographs and blood samples. 20.  On 5 or 6 July 2004 the applicants and other residents of Assinovskaya organised a meeting and blocked the traffic on the motorway heading to the Kavkaz checkpoint, demanding that the authorities provide information about their abducted relatives. The district prosecutor arrived at the meeting with a representative of the local administration and assured those present that in a couple of days the applicants would be provided with information about the place of detention of their missing relatives. 21.  On 12 July 2004 the first, fifth, sixth and seventh applicants visited the Chechen Minister of the Interior. The Minister told them that the authorities had information about the abductors, mentioning the name of a Russian military unit which, in his opinion, was most probably responsible for the abduction. 22.  Sometime later the applicants learned from undisclosed sources that their abducted relatives were detained on the premises of a special military unit stationed in the field next to Achkhoy-Martan. The applicants informed the Achkhoy-Martan District Prosecutor of this, but the prosecutor told them that only a military prosecutor’s office had the right to access those premises. At some point later the applicants’ abducted relatives were transferred from the military unit to Khankala, the main Russian military base in Chechnya. 23.  According to the applicants, about two months after the abduction the same group of Russian servicemen again arrived at the first applicant’s house late at night in two APCs. They quickly searched the house and left. The first applicant informed the prosecutor’s office of the raid. 24.  In support of their application the applicants enclosed the following documents: a statement by Ms M.Ch. dated 11 July 2004; a statement by Ms. T.E. dated 4 July 2004; a statement by the fifth applicant dated 21 February 2005; a statement by the first applicant dated 3 February 2006; and copies of documents received from the authorities. 25.  The Government did not challenge the matter as presented by the applicants. At the same time, they stated that there was no evidence that the applicants’ relatives were dead or that State agents had been involved in their alleged abduction and/or subsequent killing. 26.  On 22 July 2004 the prosecutor’s office instituted an investigation into the abduction of the applicants’ relatives under Article 126 § 2 of the Criminal Code (aggravated kidnapping). The case file was given the number 49002 (in the documents submitted the case is also referred to under no. 490002). The text of the decision included the following observations:
“... at about 4 a.m. on 4 July 2004 a group of about ten unidentified armed men in camouflage uniforms and masks arrived at the crime scene in the village of Assinovskaya. The group arrived in a UAZ-462 vehicle and an APC and unlawfully detained Inver Ilayev, who was born in 1983, Rustam Ilayev [and] Adlan Ilayev, who were born in 1987, and Kazbek Batayev, who was born in 1983 ...” 27.  On an unspecified date in July 2004 the first applicant was granted victim status in criminal case no. 49002. On 24 and 30 July 2004 the fifth and the eighth applicants, respectively, were also granted victim status in the criminal proceedings. 28.  On 22 July 2004 (it appears that the date is incorrect) the prosecutor’s office informed the applicants that on 22 November 2004 they had suspended the investigation for failure to establish the identities of the perpetrators. The text of the relevant decision included the following:
“... the preliminary investigation of the criminal case established ... that the perpetrators of the abduction had arrived at the crime scene in three APCs. In connection with this, a number of requests were forwarded [by the investigators] to law-enforcement agencies in Chechnya and Ingushetia to identify the power structure to which these vehicles had belonged ...” 29.  On 3 August 2004 the investigators informed the applicants that they were taking action, including operational-search measures, to identify the perpetrators of their relatives’ abduction. 30.  The applicants did not receive any other information about the progress of the investigation into the abduction. The investigation of case no. 49002 has not been completed to date. 31.  According to the Government’s observations on the admissibility and merits of 21 December 2010, the applicants reported the abduction on 14 July 2004. However, from the copy of the contents of the investigation file furnished to the Court it can be seen that the applicants lodged their written report of the abduction on 8 July 2004. 32.  On 8 July (in the documents submitted the date was also referred to as 11 July) 2004 the investigators examined the crime scene. No evidence was collected. 33.  On 11 July 2004 the investigators questioned the first applicant, who described the circumstances of the abduction. 34.  On 11 and 12 July 2004 the investigators questioned the applicants’ neighbours, Mr Z.G., Ms R.M. and Mr A.I., all of whom stated that they had not witnessed the abduction, but that they had seen traces of blood at the crime scene the next morning. 35.  On 12 or 17 July 2004 the investigators questioned the applicants’ neighbour, Mr D.G., who stated that at about 4 a.m. on 4 July 2004 he had seen a group of about twenty armed men in camouflage uniforms who had been taking away four of his male neighbours and that down the street there had been several military vehicles awaiting them with engines running. 36.  On 14 July 2004 the investigators asked the district military commander’s office to inform them whether they had conducted any special operations in respect of the applicants’ relatives. No reply was given to this query. 37.  On 22 July 2004 the district prosecutor’s office opened criminal case no. 49002 and the supervising prosecutor ordered the investigators to take a number of steps, including the following: an urgent in-depth crime scene examination; an expert evaluation of the evidence; making a plan of the investigative actions to be undertaken; questioning of the applicants, their relatives and neighbours about the circumstances of the abduction; forwarding requests for information about the abducted men to various law‑enforcement and military agencies; verification of whether any special operations had been conducted in the area between 3 and 4 July 2004; verification of whether military servicemen from military unit no. 20102 had been involved in the incident; an examination of the registration logs of the checkpoints in the area including the Kavkaz checkpoint to find out whether the abductors’ UAZ-469 car and an APC had passed through them on the night of the abduction. 38.  On 23 July 2004 the investigators granted the fifth applicant victim status in the criminal case and questioned her. The applicant described the circumstances of the abduction and stated that the abduction had been perpetrated by unidentified military servicemen in camouflage uniforms and masks, who had arrived in three APCs. 39.  On 24 July 2004 the investigators granted the eighth applicant victim status in the criminal case and questioned her. The applicant stated that she had not witnessed the events but had found out from the other applicants that the abduction had been perpetrated by unidentified Russian-speaking men in camouflage uniforms and masks, who had arrived in three APCs. 40.  On 24 July 2004 the investigators granted the ninth applicant victim status in the criminal case and questioned her. The applicant stated that she had not witnessed the events but had found out from the other applicants that the abduction had been perpetrated by unidentified Russian-speaking men in camouflage uniforms and masks, who had arrived in three APCs. 41.  On 28 and 30 July 2004 the investigators granted the first applicant victim status in the criminal case and questioned her. The applicant stated that the abduction had been perpetrated by unidentified Russian-speaking men in camouflage uniforms and masks, who had arrived in three APCs. 42.  On various dates in July and August 2004 the investigators forwarded numerous information requests to various prosecutors’ offices, military commanders’ offices, the departments of the Federal Security Service (“the FSB”) and departments of the interior in Chechnya, asking whether the abducted men had been detained in their districts or whether their bodies had been found in the area. Replies in the negative were received. 43.  On 30 July, 2 and 3 August 2004 the investigators questioned twenty-two of the applicants’ neighbours, including Ms A.G., Ms A.M., Ms B.V., Ms T.I., Mr Kh.M. Ms T.M., Mr Kh.G.. Mr T.K., Mr M.A., Ms V.V., Ms E.B., Ms A.B., Ms B.S., Mr B.K., Ms Kh.Sh., Ms Kh.G., Ms Z.B., Ms M.I., Ms L.G, Ms M.Ch., Ms M.M. and Ms Kh.M., all of whom stated that they had not witnessed the abduction directly, but had found out about it from the applicants. Some of the witnesses stated that they had either seen or heard APCs in their street on the night of the abduction and that they had been woken up from the noise caused by the perpetrators during the abduction when the latter had broken the applicants’ furniture and beaten the abducted men. 44.  On 14 October 2004 the investigators made a report to the supervising prosecutor about the progress of the investigation of criminal case no. 49002, stating, amongst other things, the following:
 “[...] the investigation has established that ... the abductors arrived in three APCs ... [...] [A]s a result of the operational-search measures, the investigation received operational information from law-enforcement agencies about the involvement of the [abducted] men in illegal armed groups and terrorist activities in Chechnya ...” 45.  On various dates between August and November 2004 the investigators questioned several residents of Assinovskaya, asking them to attest to the abducted men’s character and their possible involvement in illegal armed groups. Positive portrayals of the men were given, and no information pertaining to either the involvement of the abducted men in illegal activities or the circumstances of their abduction was received. 46.  On 22 November 2004 the investigation was suspended for failure to identify the perpetrators. 47.  It appears that on an unspecified date in July 2005 the investigation of the abduction was resumed as a result of the need to take certain investigative steps. 48.  On 23 July 2005 the investigators questioned a resident of Assinovsakya, Mr Kh.M., who stated that he did not know anything about the abduction other than that it had taken place in July 2004. 49.  On an unspecified date in 2005 the investigation was again suspended for failure to identify the perpetrators. 50.  On 10 June 2008 the supervising prosecutor criticised the investigation, stating that it was incomplete. In particular, he pointed out that the investigators had failed to take any steps to identify the armoured vehicles used by the abductors or to verify the theory of the possible involvement of State servicemen in the abduction. On the same date the investigation was resumed. 51.  On various dates in June 2008 the investigators again forwarded numerous information requests to various prosecutors’ offices, military commanders’ offices, the departments of the FSB, detention centres and departments of the interior in Chechnya and the other regions of the Russian Federation, asking whether the abducted men had been detained on their premises, whether their bodies had been found in the areas under their authority and whether the agencies had any information concerning their possible whereabouts and involvement in illegal armed groups. Replies in the negative were received. 52.  On 10 June 2008 the investigators asked the Achkhoy-Martan ROVD to take measures to identify the owners of the APCs used by the abductors and the registration numbers of the abductors’ vehicles. The outcome of this request is unknown. 53.  On 10 July 2008 the investigation was again suspended for failure to identify the perpetrators and the applicants were informed thereof. 54.  According to the Government, no special operations were conducted in respect of the applicants’ abducted relatives. They were neither arrested nor detained on criminal or administrative charges. They did not seek medical assistance; their corpses have not been found. 55.  Upon a specific request by the Court, the Government submitted that they had enclosed the contents of criminal case file no. 49002, which was 676 pages long. However, they had in fact furnished the Court with 566 pages from criminal case file no. 49002 and enclosed copies of the contents of another criminal case file, amounting to 110 pages, which was irrelevant to the present case.