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Strasbourg court orders 1.3 mln euros to relatives of Dubrovka victims

Court made a conclusion that the Russian authorities violated the basic principles of the European Convention on Human Rights

STRASBOURG, December 20 (Itar-Tass) — The European Court of Human Rights has satisfied practically in full a lawsuit filed by the survivors and relatives of the victims of a terrorist act staged at Moscow Theater center in Dubrovka street. The resolution of the Strasbourg court was made public Tuesday.

The victims of the Dubrovka tragedy were not given adequate medic assistance after FSB forces had spread unknown gas inside the theater building, which killed not only terrorists, but a big number of the hostages as well, the Strasbourg court ruled. It also criticized the absence of an efficient investigation into the incident.

The Strasbourg court made a conclusion that the Russian authorities violated the basic principles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court resolution envisages that Moscow is obliged to pay almost 1. 3 million euros to the survivors and relatives of the victims. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 64 former hostages and relatives of the victims who were killed during an operation for the hostages' release.

During the terrorist act staged at the Dubrovka theater centre in autumn 2002 a heavily armed group numbering 40 terrorists broke into the theater building and took 912 people hostage, including women and children.

Almost three days after the terrorists had seized the theater building and took the people hostage the building was stormed and the terrorists were liquidated. The hostages who survived in the incident were released. A total of 130 hostages fell victim to the terrorist act. Most of them were poisoned by the gas used by law enforcers to neutralize the terrorists.

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