Moscow Court Dismisses More Lawsuits from Former Hostages

Will the court dismiss foreign citizens' suits too?
The Tverskoy court in Moscow has dismissed 12 suits filed against the Moscow government by victims of the hostage crisis which took place in October of last year (when a group of armed terrorists took more than a hundred of hostages at a Moscow theater).  The court has already dismissed 36 lawsuits for compensation of moral damage to former hostages. Sixty-one suits have been filed in all.

Claimants' lawyers asked the court to institute legal proceedings on the material damage, which had been caused to former hostages as a separate file. The court accepted the request at yesterday's hearing. A lawyer for the claimants, Igor Trunov, stated that he was going to appeal the decision of the lower court regarding the first three lawsuits. Furthermore, the lawyer added that claimants would probably address the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg after all legal proceedings connected with appeals are completed.

Igor Trunov said that he would delay filing a complaint at the European Court until the Russian court decides on the lawsuits by foreign citizens who had suffered in the hostage crisis in Moscow. Trunov believes that the court will dismiss foreigners' lawsuits as well, for the situation would be really strange otherwise: foreigners' suits are upheld and Russian people's suits are dismissed.

Interfax reports that the Tverskoy court in Moscow is to consider former hostages' lawsuits on May 29th and June 2nd. The suits by three foreign citizens are to be considered at the Basmanny court of Moscow on June 11th.