The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on Friday ordered Russia to compensate Georgia for about 130 million euros for crimes committed during the conflict in South Ossetia in 2008, the EFE agency reported on Friday, as quoted by Agerpres.

The Strasbourg court declared itself competent in the case – despite Russia being suspended from the Council of Europe in March 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine – and asked the organization’s Committee of Ministers to continue to enforce the sentences handed down against Moscow. .

European judges found it proven that Russia had committed acts contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights during the conflict, such as the killing of civilians, fires, looting of cities, inhuman and degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and torture.

The main part of the compensation, 115 million euros, should go to 23 thousand Georgians who were unable to return to their homes in the separatist provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In addition, Moscow must pay 8.2 million for the obstacles it put in place to prevent the relatives of the 412 dead from properly investigating the deaths that occurred during the conflict.

It is not the first time Strasbourg has condemned Russia for crimes committed during the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia, a small pro-Russian separatist region where Tbilisi launched a military operation that followed Russia’s attack on Georgia.

ECtHR decision with symbolic effect

But Moscow is not complying with these sentences, and last December the Committee of Ministers asked it to do so with two of those decisions, from 2019 and 2021, and reminded it that it must respect the treaties despite Russia’s suspension from the Council of Europe. as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

This call was made after the Moscow parliament passed a bill last summer, according to which Russia will no longer comply with the decision of the international court.

“The European Court of Human Rights has become an instrument of political struggle against our country in the hands of Western politicians,” State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told the press at the time. the release was issued after the vote.

“Some of his decisions directly contradicted the Constitution of Russia, our values ​​and traditions,” he accused.

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