ECHR satisfies Ukraine’s lawsuit and obliges russia to stop violating human rights, including the rights of journalists, in Crimea

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg issued a final decision in the lawsuit Ukraine v. russia (on Crimea). It established numerous violations of human rights on the annexed peninsula.

In particular, the ECHR decided that russia violated the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, which relate to:

• the right to life
• Prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment
• rights to freedom and integrity
• the right to a fair trial
• absence of punishment without law
• the right to respect for private and family life
• freedom of religion
• freedom of expression
• freedom of assembly
• prohibitions of discrimination
• restrictions on the use of rights restrictions.

The Court noted that it had sufficient evidence, including reports from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations corroborated by witness statements and other materials, that the incidents were sufficiently numerous and interconnected to be considered systemic.

The decision states that “there was a scheme of prosecution and abuse of criminal law, as well as a general suppression of political opposition to russian policy in Crimea, which was developed and publicly promoted by well-known representatives of the russian authorities.”

“The Court unanimously decided that russia should take measures as soon as possible for the safe return of the relevant prisoners transferred from Crimea to penitentiary institutions located on the territory of the russian federation,” the Court ruling reads.

Ukraine submitted the first complaint in this case to the ECHR on March 13, 2014, three weeks after russia seized Crimea. Additional complaints were filed in August 2015 and 2018. The Government of Ukraine asked the Court to recognize the russian federation as responsible for the violation of human rights guaranteed by the Convention, which are considered in this international case.

In particular, the Ukrainian side insisted that there is a systematic administrative practice of human rights violations by russia in the annexed Crimea, in particular against ethnic and religious minorities, pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists, as well as servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In December 2020, the ECHR recognized the Crimean Case as admissible for consideration and confirmed that russia has been exercising control over the territory of the peninsula since February 27, 2014.

In March 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, russia was expelled from the Council of Europe. On September 16, it officially ceased to be a member country of the European Convention on Human Rights. The russian authorities passed a law on the non-implementation of ECHR decisions.

NUJU Information Service