MOSCOW, October 25 - RAPSI, Maria Perova. The Moscow Lefortovsky District Court postponed an appeal by Igor Trunov against the investigators office refusal to initiate a case against the officials who committed violations during the takeover of the Dubrovka Theater, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

The hearing has been postponed until November 2, because the prosecutor and the investigator, who did not show up for the October 19 hearing, failed to show up again.

The plaintiffs attorney filed a motion with the court that the officials be held administratively liable, but the court denied the request.

In October 2002, 40 terrorists held an audience of over 900 people hostage at the Dubrovka theater in Moscow. After three days of negotiations, security forces released an undisclosed gas into the theater to sedate the terrorists, and then stormed the building. The gas is being blamed for the deaths of 130 hostages.

In response to the committee's refusal to open a case against the officials involved, Trunov has filed a complaint with a district court to hold the investigators' office liable for the failure to consider his charges by declaring their inaction unlawful and unfounded.

The Investigative Committee has stated that a criminal case was also denied to politician Boris Nemtsov on December 31, 2002 over similar a complaint. The reason given at the time was that none of the officials' actions constituted a crime. The Investigative Committee sees no grounds to reverse the previous decision.

Trunov stated previously that a criminal case should be initiated under the Criminal Code for concealing information about circumstances that threaten the life or health of an individual, or lead to accidental manslaughter or the accidental infliction of harm as a result of negligence.

The aggrieved parties filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against the authorities in 2003. On December 20, 2011, the court held in favor of the applicants, but also ruled that the authorities did not violate anyone's civil rights by using the gas.