Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Brussels – The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Russia committed rights violations in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow occupied and annexed in violation of international law in 2014.
Russia violated the right to life, the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, and freedom of expression and assembly, the court said, among other abuses.
Judges sided with Ukraine, Russia guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt”
The ruling means the judges in Strasbourg have sided with Ukraine, which had filed a complaint with the court alleging a “pattern of persecution” of non-Russians in Crimea.
Ukraine’s allegations included unlawful detentions, ill-treatment of civilians, and the suppression of the Ukrainian media and the Ukrainian language in schools.
The court’s unanimous judgement said there was sufficient evidence – corroborated by a range of witness testimony and reports from non-governmental organizations – to find Russia guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It said the “incidents had been sufficiently numerous and interconnected” and amounted to a “system of violations.”
Impact of court ruling possibly limited
The impact of the decision is likely to be limited as Russia refuses to recognize the judgements of the court.
The country was expelled from the Council of Europe in the wake of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a result, it is no longer a member of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court in Strasbourg enforces.
However, the court can still rule on incidents that occurred before Russia’s expulsion. The case in question on Tuesday dates back to March 2014.
The Council of Europe is an institution independent of the European Union.
EU foreign ministers adopted new Russia sanctions, targeting LNG for the first time
EU foreign ministers on Monday adopted new punitive measures to crack down on sanctions evasion and stop Russia from obtaining Western technology for making weapons with the EU’s 14th sanctions package.
A further 69 individuals and 47 entities linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have also been sanctioned with an asset freeze and in the case of persons, a travel ban to the European Union. The new salvo of sanctions target Russia’s multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector for the first time.
On Tuesday, Russia said it is blocking access to 81 EU media outlets as a “retaliatory measure” after Brussels last month imposed broadcasting bans on several Russian state media.
“Counter-restrictions are being introduced on the access from Russian territory of broadcast resources of media outlets from EU member states,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement, publishing a list of media outlets and blaming Brussels for the restrictions.
(June 24/25)
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