The European Court of Human Rights declared that the Russian Federation is responsible for numerous human rights violations in the occupied territories of Ukraine, both before and after February 24, 2022, as well as for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
Source: "European Truth" citing the court's decision.
The Russian representatives were absent during the announcement of the verdict, as they were in previous sessions.
This case consolidated four interstate complaints against Russia filed by Ukraine and the Netherlands:
- Ukraine v. Russia (No. 8019/16) – violations during the armed conflict in Donbas, including the downing of MH17, torture, and forced labor;
- Ukraine v. Russia (No. 43800/14) – abduction and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia in 2014;
- Netherlands v. Russia (No. 28525/20) – circumstances and consequences of the downing of flight MH17;
- Ukraine v. Russia (No. 11055/22) – gross human rights violations during the full-scale invasion from 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, and acknowledged their mass and systemic nature.
These violations include arbitrary killings of civilians and prisoners of war, unlawful detention, inhumane treatment, use of torture, and Russia's disregard for the impact of its strikes on the civilian population, a systematic practice of suppressing Ukrainian identity, including through the education system, filtering practices, and the forced relocation of Ukrainian children and civilians deeper into occupied territories or to Russia.
The court also established that flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian Buk missile system, and Russia is responsible for making this possible.
