Russia told to pay missing Chechen's mom

MOSCOW, July 28 (UPI) -- The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia unlawfully detained and executed a Chechen man in 2000.

The court Thursday ordered Russia to pay Khajimurat Yandiev's mother 35,000 euros ($45,000) in compensation, Human Rights Watch said.

The group estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 people have been taken into custody by the Russian military or pro-Russia Chechen troops, and never seen again. Yandiev was interrogated by a top Russian military officer, questioning that was filmed by several news organizations, and then led away, presumably to summary execution.

His mother, who saw the questioning on television, tried without success to find her son.

"This ruling is a victory not just for Yandiev's family, but for the thousands of victims of enforced disappearances in Chechnya," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Europe's top human rights court has now made it clear that it will hold Russia accountable for the crime of enforced disappearances and its refusal to conduct adequate investigations into such cases."