The ECHR rejects Georgia’s claims about the events of 2008 as unfounded – Russian Politics and Diplomacy

MOSCOW, January 21. / TASS /. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that a number of Georgia’s claims against Russia in connection with the August 2008 events in South Ossetia and Abkhazia were unfounded, the Russian Justice Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“After nearly twelve years of reviewing the case, the ECHR concluded that the Russian Federation cannot be held accountable under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms for incidents that occurred when Russian soldiers repelled attacks by the Georgian army peacekeeping contingent and the local civilian population August 8-12, 2008, “said the Justice Department.

The ECHR did not support claims by the Georgian authorities about the alleged Russian incursion into South Ossetia on August 7, 2008, prior to the attack by Georgian forces on Tskhinval, according to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice rejected some conclusions from the ECHR, including holding Russia accountable for incidents in South Ossetia and Abkhazia after August 12, 2008, and highlighted that there was no direct evidence of the involvement of Russian forces in them .

“Such an assessment of the circumstances of the participation of the Russian Federation in the protection of the civilian population and in the prevention of the escalation of the armed conflict arises from the concept of extraterritorial jurisdiction of the ECHR, the position of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations and generally recognized rules of international law runs counter to. ” the ministry stated.

The decision of the ECHR in the “Georgia v Russia (II)” case does not require any compensation.

According to the Russian representative in the ECHR and the Deputy Minister of Justice Mikhail Galperin, “in this case the Georgian side tried, but without success, to prove that the European Convention on Human Rights is effectively applied not only in peaceful times but also during combat operations, the basis of international humanitarian law “We managed to convince European judges that the legal assessment of the actions of the Russian armed forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia from August 8-12, 2008 is beyond their jurisdiction. In addition, the ECHR has not had a single case of violation the Russians affirmed the civil rights rights of soldiers during the events in August 2008, “he said.

The ministry presented evidence that Georgia’s allegations were unfounded, including during public hearings in 2011, 2016 and 2018, and questioning of witnesses and attendees at events.