13.03.2007 - Source: Council of Europe - European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Considerable number of persons allegedly held in non-official detention facilities before being transferred to official law enforcement structures; particularly high number of allegations of ill-treatment in ORB-2 in Grozny and its inter-district divisions ("Public statement concerning the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation [CPT/Inf (2007) 17]") [ID 19468]

For more detailed information on allegations of ill-treatment in Second Operative and Search Bureau (ORB-2) please see the report

"The information gathered by the delegation concerns a range of law enforcement agencies throughout the Chechen Republic. In addition, a considerable number of persons alleged that they had been held for some time, and in most cases ill-treated, in places which did not appear to be official detention facilities, before being transferred to a recognised law enforcement structure or released.

As regards official law enforcement structures, a particularly high number of allegations of ill-treatment continue to relate to ORB-2 in Grozny as well as (more recently) to its inter-district divisions, especially the division in Urus-Martan. Other law enforcement structures where there would appear to be a particularly high risk of ill-treatment include the Internal Affairs District Divisions of Groznenskiy (rural), Leninskiy (Grozny), Gudermes and Naur.

As for places where persons may be unlawfully detained, a number of consistent allegations were received in respect of one or more places in the village of Tsentoroy, and of the “Vega base” located in the outskirts of Gudermes. Several allegations were also received of unlawful detentions in the Shali and Urus-Martan areas."

Document(s): Open document

13.11.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Numerous allegations of mistreatment of detainees held in facility ORB-2, which was formally “legalized” as temporary holding facility (IVS) in 2004 ("Chechnya: Research Shows Widespread and Systematic Use of Torture") [ID 17625]

"ORB-2 was established in 2002 and formally charged with detecting, preventing and suppressing actions by organized criminal groups. (...) Human Rights Watch interviewed several dozen people who were detained and tortured at ORB-2 premises between 2004 and 2006, as well as their relatives and lawyers; they consistently told of ORB-2 personnel coercing confessions under brutal ill-treatment and torture; denying detainees access to lawyers of their choice; preventing medical documentation of signs of torture by denying access to doctors and keeping detainees in custody until the signs of torture fade and, if suspects sought to renounce their coerced confessions after they were transferred to remand custody, subjecting them to further ill-treatment as punishment and to force them to stand by the original statements."

Document(s): Press release
Briefing paper

13.11.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Report on illegal arrest and torture of 2 brothers in ORB-2 in March 2006 ("Chechnya: Research Shows Widespread and Systematic Use of Torture") [ID 17626]

Document(s): Press release
Briefing paper

07.11.2003 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Military base at Khankala repeatedly referred to in connection with allegations of ill-treatment received by the European Committee concerned law enforcement establishments throught the Chechen Republic ("Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment") [#17377],  [ID 16073]

"The allegations of ill-treatment received by the European Committee concerned law enforcement establishments (Departments of Internal Affairs and certain Federal Security Service facilities) throughout the territory of the Chechen Republic and related to both official and unofficial places of detention. As regards the latter, the Military Base at Khankala was referred to repeatedly. In addition, one establishment stood out in terms of the frequency and gravity of the alleged ill-treatment, namely ORB-280 in Grozny, a facility that never appeared on any official list of detention facilities provided to the European Committee."

Document(s): Open document

07.11.2003 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

ORB-280 in Grozny, a facility that never appeared on any official list of detention facilities provided to the European Committee stood out in terms of the frequency and gravity of the alleged ill-treatment ("Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment") [#17377],  [ID 16074]

"The allegations of ill-treatment received by the European Committee concerned law enforcement establishments (Departments of Internal Affairs and certain Federal Security Service facilities) throughout the territory of the Chechen Republic and related to both official and unofficial places of detention. As regards the latter, the Military Base at Khankala was referred to repeatedly. In addition, one establishment stood out in terms of the frequency and gravity of the alleged ill-treatment, namely ORB-280 in Grozny, a facility that never appeared on any official list of detention facilities provided to the European Committee."

Document(s): Open document

04.03.2003 - Source: Council of Europe - Secretary General

Council of Europe: An illegal detention is allegedly located within the military base of servicemen from the Saratov region; traces of blood could be found in detention centres ("Twenty-sixth interim report by the Secretary General on the presence of the Council of Europe’s experts in the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for ensuring Human Rights and Civil Rights and Freedoms in the Chechen Republic [SG/Inf(2003) 7]") [#11304],  [ID 16075]

"8. Servicemen from the Saratov region located in a Grozny suburb are known to be particularly brutal when they carry out special operations and undertake targeted measures. An illegal detention centre is allegedly located within their military base - where the former “Grozny Transport Company I” was located. Mr Khamidov, Deputy Head of Chechen Administration for Security Forces, as well as the Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic together with the Military Prosecutor visited the military base in question in January 2003. During their respective visit, traces of blood in detention cells were identified. However, no detainee was found. On 13 January 2003, shortly after Mr Khamidov’s visit, eight dead bodies were found near the military settlement."

Document(s): Open document
Addendum