ECHR Ruling on Human Rights Violations in Ukraine
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has officially ruled that the Russian Federation is guilty of serious human rights violations in occupied territories both before and after February 24, 2022, as well as in the case of the Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 in 2014.
Source: "European Truth" referring to the court's decision
The Russian delegation was absent during the announcement of the verdict, as it was in previous hearings.
This case consolidates four interstate complaints filed against Russia by Ukraine and the Netherlands with the ECHR:
- Ukraine vs. Russia (No. 8019/16) – issues related to the armed conflict in Donbas, including the downing of MH17, torture, forced labor, and other violations;
- Ukraine vs. Russia (No. 43800/14) – abduction of Ukrainian children and their illegal transfer to the Russian Federation in 2014;
- Netherlands vs. Russia (No. 28525/20) – circumstances and consequences of the MH17 downing;
- Ukraine vs. Russia (No. 11055/22) – severe human rights violations during the full-scale invasion starting February 24, 2022.
The court unanimously ruled that it has jurisdiction over these complaints regarding events that occurred before September 16, 2022, when Russia's membership in the Council of Europe was terminated.
The court found the Russian Federation guilty of numerous human rights violations occurring in occupied territories before and after February 24, 2022, noting their mass and systematic nature.
This includes arbitrary killings of civilians and prisoners of war, unlawful detention, inhumane treatment, torture, Russia's disregard for the impact of its strikes on civilians, a systematic practice of suppressing Ukrainian identity, including through education, the practice of "filtering," and the forced relocation of Ukrainian children and civilians deeper into occupied territories or to the territory of the Russian Federation, etc.
The court also established that flight MH17 over Donbas was shot down by a Russian missile system "Buk," and Russia is accountable for making this possible.
