ECHR orders Russia to pay over €253 million to Georgia in compensation in continued occupation case

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday issued a ruling in the case Georgia v. Russia (IV) concerning the so-called continued occupation, awarding compensation in favour of Georgia. The Court endorsed the complex legal arguments and evidence presented by the Georgian Government, obliging Russia to pay €253,018,000 to more than 29,000 Georgian victims, the Georgian Ministry of Justice reported.

On April 9, 2024, the Court ruled that Russia bears full responsibility for the mass harassment, detention, attacks, killings, and official tolerance of such acts against the population in occupied territories and along the occupation line, conducted on the backdrop of occupation and the so-called borderisation of Georgian territories.

“Today’s ruling represents a logical continuation of the historic cases won by Georgia against Russia. In Georgia v. Russia (I), concerning the mass deportation of ethnic Georgians from Russia, the Court ordered the Russian Federation to pay nearly €10 million in compensation for the large-scale human rights violations. Similarly, in Georgia v. Russia (II), related to the August 2008 war, Russia was ordered to pay up to €130 million for mass violations committed against Georgian citizens during and after the conflict. Although the Russian Federation is no longer a member of the Council of Europe, it remains legally bound to comply with these rulings and is subject to fines for every day of non-compliance”, the statement said.

The enforcement of these decisions is ongoing within the framework of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, with Georgia’s active participation.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia expressed gratitude to all state agencies involved in gathering evidence and congratulated the entire nation on this historic victory.