ECHR finds russia guilty of human rights violations in Crimea

Today, June 25, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced the decision on the merits in the first international case in the ECHR "Ukraine v. russia" regarding human rights violations in the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Marharyta Sokorenko, Commissioner of the European Court of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, announced this on Facebook.

Thus, the court recognized that the Government of Ukraine proved the existence of systematic violations of the rights of Ukrainians since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea by the russian invaders in February 2014.

In particular, the ECHR established unanimously that Ukraine proved the existence of an administrative practice on the part of the aggressor country of russia:

• disappearances and the lack of an effective investigation in this connection under Article 2 of the Convention;
• ill-treatment and illegal detention under Articles 3 and 5 of the Convention;
• the illegal spread of russian legislation, as a result of which the courts in Crimea cannot be considered as established in accordance with the law, according to Article 6;
• forced change of Ukrainian citizenship to russian according to Article 8 of the Convention;
• systematic mass searches in violation of Article 8;
• forced transfer to the territory of the russian federation of those convicted in violation of Article 8;
• attacks and persecution of religious leaders who did not belong to the russian Orthodox Church, searches and confiscation of property in this connection in violation of Article 9;
• closure of non-russian media, including Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar TV stations, constant harassment and attacks on journalists in violation of Article 10;
• prohibition of peaceful assemblies and protests and attacks and persecution of their organizers in violation of Article 11 of the Convention;
• expropriation of private property in violation of Article 1 of the First Protocol;
• closure of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar classes contrary to Article 2 of the First Protocol;
• violation of the right to freedom of movement between the occupied territory of Crimea and the mainland of Ukraine;
• discrimination against Crimean Tatars;
• violation of the rights of political prisoners, the impossibility of their return to Ukraine and their ill-treatment in occupied Crimea and the territory of the russian federation.

"This decision is the first in which the international court recognized russia as responsible for the policy of large-scale and systematic violations of various human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territory of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," Sokorenko emphasized.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the former Minister of Defense of russia Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the russian federation Valery Gerasimov on suspicion of their alleged involvement in international crimes.

To request a correction, please send an email.