European Court Orders Russia to Pay Over €129 Million to Georgia

The European Court of Human Rights has mandated Russia to pay over €129 million in compensation to Georgian citizens for violations of their rights during the 2008 war, reports currentime.tv.

This is an additional ruling from the ECHR regarding the Georgian government's application related to Article 41 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was not included in the main ruling of 2021. It is noted that €3.2 million is to be provided for the killing of at least 50 civilians, €2.7 million for arbitrary detention and inhuman and degrading treatment for at least 116 victims, and €640,000 for Georgian prisoners of war who suffered from torture.

€115 million in compensation is associated with the administrative practices that prevented Georgian citizens from returning to their homes in occupied territories, impacting at least 23,000 individuals. An additional €8.2 million is linked to 142 individuals who suffered due to the absence of a proper investigation into civilian deaths during the active phase of military operations by the Russian side.

It should be noted that following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country was expelled from the Council of Europe in March of last year. In response, Moscow declared that it would not comply with the ECHR's decisions. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant law in June 2022.

However, the court emphasizes that the fact that the state has ceased to be a member of the Council and a participant in the Convention does not exempt the government from its obligations under the Convention regarding any actions taken before leaving the Council and the Convention.