Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of human rights
lawyer, Stanislav Markelov, following a recent attack on him by a group of five
men, whilst he was travelling on the Moscow metro. It is feared that he has
been targeted for his work as a lawyer on behalf of victims in several key
human rights cases, a number of which relate to the conflict in Chechnya.

At around 11:30pm on 16 April, Stanislav Markelov was attacked as he travelled
home on the metro by a group of five men in their twenties. According to
Stanislav Markelov, the men, who wore civilian clothing, surrounded him and
shouted: "You got what you’re asking for. No more speeches for you [in court]
then". They then hit him on the head with a heavy object, causing him to lose
consciousness. He woke up two hours later at the last metro station. His mobile
phone, which contained the phone numbers of all his clients, was missing as
were various identity documents, including his lawyer’s licence card, his
passport and an entry card for the State Duma. He later discovered that various
documents from the case files of his clients were also missing from his bag. He
was surprised that neither his money, nor his expensive Swiss watch had been
stolen in the attack. Without his lawyer’s card, he is currently unable to
appear in court until a replacement is issued.

Stanislav Markelov went home, where his wife called the emergency services. He
was then taken to the City Hospital No 68, where he was diagnosed as suffering
from concussion and the doctors asked to hospitalize him, although he refused
to stay. After recovering at home for two days, on 19 April Stanislav Markelov
visited the Moscow Department of Internal Affairs No 8 in charge of providing
security in the metro, in order to file a complaint about the attack. The
police officers on duty reportedly told Stanislav Markelov that the medical
certificate of the injuries he sustained was fake and insisted that he filed a
complaint about "lost property", but not about the violent attack against him.
On 21 April, Stanislav Markelov filed a complaint about the attack with the
Moscow City Department of Internal Affairs. A criminal investigation into the
events has reportedly not yet been opened.

Among the missing case documents were those relating to the trial of Sergei
Lapin (known as "Kadet"), who has been charged in connection with the
"disappearance" and torture of Chechen student Zelimkhan Murdalov, whose family
is represented by Stanislav Markelov. Sergei Lapin served in Chechnya as a
member of the special police detachment (OMON) from the Khanty-Mansyski region
in the Russian Federation which was operating in Grozny. Zelimkhan Murdalov
"disappeared" on 2 January 2001 after having been detained by Russian OMON
forces in Grozny. Witnesses claimed that he was tortured to death in police
custody.

On 7 January 2001, a criminal investigation was opened into Zelimkhan Murdalov’
s "disappearance". In September 2001, journalist Anna Politkovskaya published
an article in Novaya Gazeta newspaper called "The Disappearing People", in
which she spoke about the allegations connecting Sergei Lapin and his OMON
colleagues to the torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov. Following the publication of
this article, Anna Politkovskaya received two letters containing threats to her
life, reportedly written by Sergei Lapin. The Office of the Procurator of the
city of Nizhnevartovsk in Khanty-Mansyski region opened a criminal
investigation in October 2001 into Sergei Lapin’s involvement in threatening
the safety of Anna Politkovskaya. This investigation had been reportedly closed
and renewed at least nine times and in November 2003 it was transferred to the
Regional Office of the Procurator of Khanty-Mansyski Autonomous Region of the
Russian Federation. Stanislav Markelov also represents Anna Politkovskaya.

In January 2002, Sergei Lapin was arrested and charged in connection with the
allegations of torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov in detention. Sergei Lapin was
released pending trial in May 2003 because he was found not to be threatening
to the public safety. His trial began in Grozny at the end of 2003, but he
reportedly has not attended any of the hearings so far because he claimed he
suffered a mental illness. However, according to reports, he was first
dismissed from OMON, but later reinstated as a police officer in the city of
Nizhnevartovsk, where he currently serves. Reportedly, he was recently awarded
a medal "For Protecting Public Order", accompanied by a letter, signed by the
Russian President.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International continues to receive reports concerning the harassment
and intimidation of activists, NGOs and lawyers in connection with the conflict
in Chechnya. For example, there has been a pattern of harassment of people from
Chechnya who have petitioned the European Court of Human Rights, as well as
those who are defending the rights of victims of abuses. Human rights groups in
the region have also faced increasing levels of harassment and intimidation. A
number of activists have been "disappeared" and/or extra-judicially executed.

29 April 2004
Source: Amnesty International (UA 160/04 Fear for safety)

http://www.amnesty.org.ru/library/Index/ENGEUR460162004?open&of=ENG-2EU